Wild Mage
by HesperideIsis
Summary: Nausicaa lived in a quiet, relentless isolation. Oh, she could speak to animals and summon legendary creatures, but human company was always just outside her reach. At least until she has a faithful encounter with one Monkey D. Luffy and his first mate. Naturally, somehow she ends up as the Straw Hat's resident dancer. And would someone please tell Zoro he's lost? Again. ZoroXOC
1. Green

**As I've said before, doubtlessly will do again, One Piece does not belong to me.**

**Enjoy!~**

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**Green**

Zoro's eyebrow twitched. Once. Twice. "Where the hell are we?" he demanded crossly with a scowl.

It had been days since the Shells Town drama and Zoro had quickly figured out Luffy had no navigation skills. At all. Being two young men, both of them became bored and hungry after a few days of plain drifting. The island Luffy had spotted had been a dream come true.

After rowing there at top speed, the two had gotten off their boat, secured it, and had wandered off into the island. Where they met trees. And trees. And-you guessed it!- more trees. And some bushes thrown in for good measure. There were no roads, at least none that they could see. So naturally, they got lost.

"Shishishi! Dunno know," Luffy grinned carelessly as he walked alongside his annoyed swordsmen, not in the least bit worried. He, after all, had gotten into situations like this more often than not in his childhood with Ace and Sabo. "Hope we find some meat soon though. I'm starving."

"Yeah, well, I don't think we're gonna find anything right now. It's probably been hours since we got lost in here." Zoro looked around and saw…green. And green. And more green. Now, don't get him wrong, Zoro liked green. In fact, it was his favorite color…most of the time. But right at that moment, Zoro would do anything to see some color other than green. For a second, Zoro thought he might have saw a flicker of amber in the corner of his eyes, but when he spun around to look, it was gone.

"What?" Luffy complained; looking at his first mate like that had never occurred to him. "We're not going to get meat?"

"I don't see any settlements around here, so unless we catch something, probably not." Zoro batted some hanging ferns out of his way irritably. "Heck, there might not be any people on this island at all. Certainly looks deserted." Though he was certain, he had caught something back there.

"But…no meat?" Luffy seemed shocked for a moment and then his jaw firmed in determination. Zoro wasn't certain he liked that look in his eyes. "Well then, we gotta catch something and eat it."

"Sure, but first we have to find something first." Zoro frowned at their surroundings and laid a hand on one of his swords. Since they had stepped foot on the island, they hadn't seen any animals, but Zoro trusted his instincts and right now they were telling him someone or something was watching them. And that, that something was probably dangerous.

"Zoro?" Luffy asked, picking up on his crewmate's sudden shift in mood as they walked into a clearing shadowed by tall trees and thick bushes. Curiously he looked around them. There didn't seem to be anything around other than the vegetation but it was kinda hard to tell since it was so dark. Still, maybe they would find some MEAT!

"Heh. It probably isn't a probl-"was all Zoro got out before a sleek shadow sprang from the bushes and leaped towards them with a ferocious growl. His eyes narrowed dangerously and with a graceful movement, he pulled a sword from its scabbard and raised it high. Closer and closer that shadow came with obvious lethal intent and Zoro turned his body sideways, readied his arms to swing his sword and swung-

A knife came spinning through the air and collided with his sword, diverting it from its fatal path towards the unknown attacker. The shadow landed lightly on the ground next to Zoro and Luffy, rolled, and then promptly ran back into the bushes. Zoro frowned and turned towards the direction the knife had come from just in time to see a young girl step out from the shadows and come face to face with the two pirates. Bright green eyes collided with his own in clear, unmistakable challenge even as she casually twirled another hunting knife around her hands.

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**Please, Please, Please Review. I need the chocolate. Give me the chocolate please? If only so I'll update again?  
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	2. Nausicaa

**One Piece does not belong to me~**

**Oh and how's the story coming along?**

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**Nausicaa**

The silence echoed around them. To be honest, Zoro didn't know what to make of the newcomer. Oh, she was pretty, no doubt. Her eyes, that brilliant new grass green, contrasted nicely with her straight copper hair. Long and silky, her hair was currently tied up in a bun with a piece of..twine? It looked like twine. At around 5'5, she wasn't really tall but then again, she didn't exactly seem like an adult either. If he had to guess, he would have said that she was Luffy's age, maybe even a little younger. The teenage girl wore a slightly ragged green shirt, a leather jacket on top and rather torn brown pants which explained how she had sneaked up on them. Her skin seemed tan, so it was possible she had been living in the forest for a long time, which was why Zoro didn't understand why she had multiple bracelets on her wrists. They didn't seem to go with her clothes or her surroundings. Maybe they were worn for sentimental reasons?

For all that she was playing with a hunting knife between her fingers in intricate moves that screamed her proficiency with the weapon, Zoro was fairly certain she wasn't all that dangerous to them. She could have aimed at him to stop his sword from killing their mysterious attacker but she had thrown that blade at his sword and it had just been a glancing blow, meant to divert. Plus, there was the fact that she still hadn't made a move and was just watching the two suspiciously, a frown on her face.

The girl broke the silence first. "What do you guys think you're doing?" she asked an edge to her clear, ringing voice.

Luffy eyed the girl strangely and then stepped forward. "Oi! Why'd you throw that knife at Zoro?" he demanded, none of his usual cheer in his voice.

She scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. If I'd wanted that knife to hit the swordsmen, it would have hit him. And what do you mean why? That should be my question. What do you two think you're doing, targeting cubs like that?"

Luffy and Zoro blinked. "Cubs?" Zoro repeated even as he slid his sword back in his scabbard. If the girl hadn't already attacked,she probably wasn't going any time soon.

The girl blinked, apparently just as confused as they were. "Wait, so you didn't know what that was?" she demanded, holding her knife in one hand and putting the other on her waist. "Why, for the love of Pan would you attack something unknown? All he wanted to do was play!"

Zoro bristled at the girl's condescending tone. "Play? It was obvious that it was planning to attack us!" he defended. "It was the one that growled and tried to pounce on us!"

She just gave him an exasperated look even as she slid away her knife in a quicksilver motion to god knows where. Turning her head, she glared at the bushes and raised her voice, "Nassir, get your furry self over here right now!"

What? Confused, yet again, Zoro and Luffy looked at the bushes. Who the hell was she talking to? There was no answer nor any movement for long heartbeats and he looked back at the girl to see how she was taking this. Luffy continued to stare at the bushes like he was looking for the secret of immortality. If anything though, the lack of response just seem to make the girl even more annoyed. "Nassir!" she snapped.

A low whine came out of the bushes, startling Zoro into snapping his head back to stare at the innocent looking things. Luffy's eyes widened and he leaned forward to better see what was going on. The girl frowned sternly. Raising a hand, she pointed at the grass in front of her where a small patch of sunlight shone. "Here," she said "_Now!_"

Apparently, that tone of voice did the trick. A small sleek shadow came out of the bushes and walked dejectedly to the patch of sunlight. Upon getting there, the mysterious, lethal attacker was promptly revealed to be...

A small leopard cub. Who stared at them with pitiful eyes, head drooping, and tail down, the picture of pity and remorse. Zoro's eye twitched. Yet again. Luffy gaped comically at the little cub, exclaiming, "EHHH?"

The girl smiled in amusement at their faces, looking almost smug. "Here." she said pointing at the cub. "There's your oh so lethal attacker. Now, are you going to apologize for almost killing my pet yet?"

Zoro turned to glare at her in pure annoyance while Luffy continued to stare at Nassir. She just smiled teasingly at him and said, "I'm waiting..." in a sing-song voice.

The cub lifted his head to look at him with wide, innocent eyes and Zoro gritted his teeth. The little witch just raised a copper eyebrow and began to tape her left foot in an impatient tempo.

"Fine!" Zoro got out through clenched teeth. "I'm sorry for almost killing your pet."

The witch had the nerve to laugh at him! Thankfully though, this seemed to break Luffy out of his staring trance. Unfortunately, this led to Luffy realizing he had food in front of him and his stomach was really empty.

"MEAT!" he screamed, running forward and lunging at the leopard cub hands outstretched. The cub jumped in surprise and then let out a yowl of fear. Turning, he jumped straight into the arms of the girl. Said girl frowned at Luffy and swiftly kicked him in the gut when he got close enough. Luffy went flying back to land right back next to Zoro who rolled his eyes.

The little witch cuddled her pet close and glared at Luffy. "Nassir is _not_ going to be dinner!" she stated firmly.

Luffy pouted and rose on his knees to clasp both his hands over his stomach "But...I'm sooo hungry!" he whined.

For a second, the girl seemed conflicted. Then she sighed and turned back towards the woods where she had come from, throwing over her shoulder, "Come on then."

"Ehhh?" Luffy perked up, looking at the girl with renewed hope even as she took a few steps away from them.

The girl stopped and turned her head to look at them. She raised an eyebrow at them even as her lips curled up in a faintly amused smile. "You said you're hungry right? I have food back at camp, so come on."

"Awesome!" Luffy leapt to his feet, bursting with energy now that he knew food was near by. "Come on Zoro, let's go eat!"

Zoro hesitated but went with his captain as they followed the girl into denser woods. He didn't entirely trust the girl, they had just met after all, but she didn't seem hostile. More playful and teasing than aggressive.

"Ne, ne, what's your name?" Luffy asked as he bounded up next to the girl.

She turned and smiled at his antics. "Why don't you tell me who you guys are first." she suggested, amusement underlying her voice.

"Oh! Okay!" Luffy grinned widely at her. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

She laughed but not unkindly. "That's a big goal." she commented.

"Yeah, but I'm going to do it!" Luffy replied confidently.

The girl just smiled and then turned to Zoro. "And you? You're a part of his crew, right?" she asked, a faint challenge in her voice.

Zoro's eyes narrowed. "Yeah." he said shortly. "Roronoa Zoro."

She tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face but nodded in acknowledgement.

"What about you though? What's your name?" Luffy asked again.

She smiled. "Nausicaa," she said. "My name is Nausicaa."

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**Review, Review, Please REVIEW!  
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	3. Witch

**One Piece does not and I repeat, does not belong to me. Here's snippet #3&4~**

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**Ego**

"Well, this is as far as I can take you." Nausicaa said as she stopped at the end of a clearing. Raising a hand covered with lots of different bracelets that chinked slightly, she pointed in front of her. "The village is only a few minutes in that direction."

After they had their little confrontation in the forest, Nausicaa had taken the two pirates to her little camp out. There they had met Sascha, a full grown female leopard who she had introduced as her family. She had growled at them but hadn't moved to attack them. Nausicaa had then proceeded to give them some meat and vegetables for which she was thoroughly thanked for between big bites of food. She had laughed it off and after the two had eaten to their hearts' content, they had told her how they met.

Upon seeing the sun starting to go down the horizon, she had decided to lead the two pirates to a near-by village for the night; which was where the three were right now.

"It was a pleasure meeting you two." She turned with a smile. "Good luck on your journey."

"Wait." Luffy cut in, a confused frown on his face. "You're not coming with us?"

Nausicaa shook her head and hesitated for a moment before saying, "No, I like to stay in the forest and away from the village."

Zoro quirked an eyebrow at her. He had the feeling it was something bigger than that.

Luffy was still confused but said, "Okay then." Shaking off his confusion, he grinned at his new friend. "Thanks for the meat! See you later!"

"It was no problem. Don't get lost." This was mostly aimed at Zoro to his annoyance. Earlier, when he had went to relieve himself, he had gotten utterly confused and hadn't been able to find the way back to her campsite. Nausicaa had to track him done and lead him back. It wasn't his fault, damn it! He shot a glare at her to which she simply smiled innocently.

"Shishishi! We won't." Luffy started to walk off in the direction of the village without another word.

Zoro grunted but started to follow his Captain. As he did, he could just feel her eyes on his him though he didn't outright look at her. Just when he was about to pass her, he looked at her, and nodded his head in thanks. He wouldn't admit it but she had been very kind to them. Nausicaa hadn't only not abandoned them in the forest; she had taken them to her personal camp, fed them with her only supplies, and led them to a village she seemed to dislike. Really, the only problem he had with her was her tendency to poke and tease him playfully.

Now, she laughed softly. "You're welcome, swordsmen. I know that was hard on your ego." With that she began to walk off, presumably back to her camp, leaving Zoro spluttering behind her. Hard on his ego? His ego? Even leaving, she just had to get the last word didn't she?

**Witch**

"So…you were with that girl huh?" the head elder all but demanded and looked at the two sternly.

Zoro narrowed his eyes, the elder's tone grating on his nerves. He did not like the condescending tone he spoke of Nausicaa with. Sure, she was a pain but she wasn't that bad. Plus, why were interested in her? Was this why she didn't like to go in the village?

Luffy and Zoro had followed her instructions and found their way to the village. There the two had been welcomed with open arms. Visitors, it had been explained to them, were rare on this island. So, all guests were welcome. They had been talking about sleeping arrangements when Luffy had mentioned Nausicaa's name. The friendly tour guides had paled, looked at each other, and then dragged to two pirates to see the elders.

"Yup! She gave us meat." Luffy said now, seemingly not noticing the elder's dislike of the girl. "She was really nice."

"Humph." Another old geezer, this one with a disgusted expression on his face, crossed his arms. "You need to stay away from her, boys. She's bad news."

Of course, this caught the attention of the two immediately. "What do you mean old guy?" Luffy asked with all his usual amount of tact. Which was to say, none at all.

The elder went red which did interesting things to his already ugly face. "Be more respectful, brat!" he shouted at Luffy who just ignored him. "Humph." He grunted. "Young people these days have no respect for their elders."

"Yeah, yeah old geezer." Zoro said from his relaxed sitting position, his swords in his laps. "Why is Nausicaa bad news?"

"SHH!" one of the other old guys put his finger to his lips and looked around in a panic as if waiting for something with red eyes to jump them. "Don't say her name!"

"Why not?" Luffy asked. "What's so bad about her. She seemed like a good person."

"She's a Witch." The head elder stated flatly, bringing everyone's attention back to them. Zoro blinked while Luffy just stared at him. "She has devil powers. Her name brings misfortune. Keegan is right. You guest should stay away from her. Her curses bring disaster!"

A witch, huh. Zoro resisted the urge to scoff. Didn't witches wear black and have pointy hats? Well, no matter. As far as he was considered, that changed nothing. He had recognized her as dangerous from the get-go. She had still been remarkably kind to them.

"Devil powers?" Luffy repeated. "You mean she ate a devil fruit?"

The head elder blinked at him, startled out of his superstitious rant. "The sea devil's incarnation? No. She has always been able to swim. But! She is all the more fearsome because of the lack! Her powers have no origin. They were given to her by the devil itself. She is-"

Suddenly, the doors were flung open and a young man stepped in, inadvertently stopping Luffy from doing something reckless. Everyone turned to stare at the newcomer, including Luffy and Zoro. Zoro immediately hated this guy. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and impressive muscles. He also had a haughty and superior look on his face and reminded Zoro way too much of Helmeppo, the guy who had tried to kill him in Shells Town.

"Hehehehe!" he laughed when he saw Luffy and Zoro, his voice booming.

"M-Mr. Kashiwa? What are you doing?" the jumpy elder cried out.

"Oh, relax, Katai-san." The guy said with an arrogant smirk. "I just heard there were guests and wanted to meet them. I take it they would be these guys?" He nodded at Luffy and Zoro, his gaze slightly patronizing. Zoro grit his teeth.

The elder who yelled at Luffy nodded his head. He turned to the pirates and said proudly, "Brats, this is Kashiwa. He is our best hunter, one of our most honored. Kashiwa, this brat is Luffy and that one is Zoro."

Kashiwa smiled charmingly at them and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you." He said.

Zoro said nothing and didn't move but looked over to Luffy. Luffy stared at the hand that was offered to him for a second and then turned away with a huff. "I don't like you." He said bluntly.

As soon as the last word left his captain's mouth, Zoro switched his attention back to Kashiwa and smirked. The guy looked absolutely shocked and sucker-punched. He recovered quickly and pasted another smile on his face but Zoro had seen that second of utter incomprehension. It was hilarious.

"Now, look you brat! Kashiwa deserves your respect!" the elder who introduced them yelled, looking like he was going to jump to his feet and punch the brats.

"Heheheh. It's okay, sensei. I'm sure we'll get on along once you get to know me." Kashiwa got out in a strained tone.

Luffy looked at him and said, "No, I don't like you."

Awkward silence fell as all the elders stared at Luffy in shock and anger. Kashiwa looked slightly uncomfortable now, not knowing what to say or do in this situation. He had never ever met someone who just plain disliked him! Everyone liked him!

"We were just telling the guests about the Witch." The head elder said quickly before the situation could get any worse. "We were warning them to stay away from her when you came in."

"Ahhh." Kashiwa smiled, back in his element. The other elders relaxed but immediately tensed again at his next words. "Nausicaa-chan, huh? I'm going to marry that girl."

"EEHHH!" all the elders and Luffy screamed.

Zoro's eyes popped open. Married? Nausicaa couldn't have been older than 17! And from what he had seen, she was an independent as they come. He just couldn't see her willing to settle down and do the laundry and cooking every day like he had seen the other woman in the village did.

"Kashiwa! You mustn't say her name!" the jumpy elder called out.

"And what do you mean by married, my boy?" the anger-management guy screamed at his pupil, going purple in the face this time. That really couldn't be good for his health, Zoro thought absentmindedly. "No one is going to marry that Witch and certainly not you!"

"Come on, now guys! Calm down! Nausicaa-chan is going to become my wife and she's already agreed!" Kashiwa said confidently, all but oozing charm.

Zoro frowned. Really? She had consented to marrying this jerk? She had been wearing a lot of bracelets but he hadn't noticed a ring on her left hand. Still, his opinion of the girl just went down like the drop of a waterfall. He almost felt disappointed. He would have thought Nausicaa had better sense than to marry an idiot like Kashiwa.

Before anyone else could say anything more, Kashiwa dropped like a stone, a big lump on his head. Behind him stood an old woman brandishing the wooden staff she had used to bash his head with. The old lady scowled fiercely at Kashiwa, shouting, "Stop telling lies, boy! Nausicaa-chan never agreed to marry you and you know it! Stop pestering the poor girl. You're not worthy of her!"

The head elder got over his shock and started to boom out, "Yanagi, what are you doin-"

"And you!" without pause, the old lady rounded on the elders causing them to shrink back. By now, both Zoro and Luffy were watching the scene in bemusement and glee. They didn't know who the old grandma was but they had been annoyed by the elders and watching them get dressed down was incredibly satisfying "What do you think you old geezers are doing? Have you all gone senile? What have I said about accusing that poor child of those horrid things? And telling them to our guests? Have you gone mad?"

With each high-pitched question, the elders shrank back from the outraged woman until they were hugging the walls. She let out a huff when she finished and then eyed the elders with a disdainful eye.

No one was prepared when Luffy suddenly let out a loud laugh. His laugh echoed off the walls in the silence. Zoro simply smirked. "I like you, granny!" he proclaimed when he was done laughing.

Yanagi, the old lady, looked the two of them over and then sighed. "Okay brats," she said. "You're coming with me. I'll take you to where you're sleeping and away from these idiots."

"Okay!" Luffy agreed easily. Zoro grunted but it was in agreement.

The head elder tried again. "Now see here, Yanagi-"

Yanagi whirled on his, eyes flashing and he fell silent. "They. Are. Coming. With. Me." She hissed out.

The head elder grimaced but nodded in agreement. Yanagi drew her scorching glare across the room as if daring anyone else to argue with her. No one was that brave or stupid.

Satisfied, she turned to leave, barking out a," Don't lag behind, brats!"

They didn't.

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**Review...I don't mind the criticism XD**


	4. Shunned

**One Piece does not belong to me!**

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**Shunned**

"Do you two want tea?" Yanagi, the old grandma, asked.

After the fiasco with the elders, she had led them to a hut at the edges of the village. Now, Zoro and Luffy were sitting at a small table while she bustled around the kitchen.

"MEAT!" Luffy cheered.

"I want sake!" was Zoro's imput.

"You brats!" she screamed, slamming her staff into their heads and producing some big bumps. "Humph."

"Geez," Zoro grumbled as he rubbed the bump on his head.

Luffy, of course, just bounced right back up. "Ne, ne, oba-chan, why did those old geezers call Nausicaa a witch?" he asked with a frown. "She's nice, I like her!"

Zoro perked up, interested in this topic of conversation. He was curious too, after all.

Yanagi sighed deeply and said, "If we're going to talk about this, sit back down, brats. It's a long story."

Luffy frowned but sat down. Zoro followed but wondered just what all the fuss was.

Yanagi sat down across the table from them with a cup of hot tea in her hands, looking old and weary. "Nausicaa-chan, she's a good person. She brings in meat for the village when we're lacking, takes care of the forest for the animals."

"Then why?" Luffy demanded.

"Because she's something special and they're a bunch of superstitious idiots!"she burst out in a rage that left as quickly as it came.

Luffy blinked. "Special?"

"Look, I should start at the beginning if you two want to understand." Yanagi said, taking a sip of tea.

"Go ahead," Zoro said, resting his head on his hand.

"Nausicaa-chan first came to us when she was 10 years old. We found her as the sole survivor of a shipwreck after a deadly thunderstorm," Yanagi told them. "We let her stay of course, but it soon became obvious there was something different about her. We found she had exceptional skill in hunting and gathering and sometimes we heard her talking to someone when there was no one else around."

"Was she talking to ghosts?" Luffy asked curiously.

"No. Not ghosts." Yanagi replied with an amused twinkle in her eyes that faded far too quickly. "Nausicaa-chan can talk to animals."

"Animals? That's so COOL!" Luffy exclaimed, eyes wide.

Zoro blinked in surprise; he hadn't expected that. Though, now that he thought about it, it made sense. She had talked to Naasir, that leopard cub, hadn't she? She had firmly told Sascha, the female leopard, that the two pirates were not chew toys like she expected her to understand. And Sascha had listened to her, hadn't bit the two pirates even though it was clear she had been tempted.

Yanagi laughed out loud, amused by Luffy's reaction. "Oh, if only everyone could react like that," she commented, chuckling.

Luffy looked at her, comprehension starting to dawn. "Is that why everyone calls her a witch?" he asked. "Cause she can talk to animals?"

"Yes," she confirmed with a dark look on her wrinkly face. "When they found out, she was 13, almost 14. The elders started to start rumours that she was a witch, and before I knew it, the whole village was shunning the poor girl. Nausicaa-chan, sweet girl that she is, never blamed the village. To get away from the whispers, she started to spend more time in the forest. By the time she was 14, she was living in the forest all together! Nowadays, she rarely comes to the village."

Now, both Luffy and Zoro were silent as they worked out what she had told them. To be honest, Zoro was impressed. Not a lot of 14 year olds could live in a forest and take care of themselves alone. And then come out to challenge two unknown strangers, one with three swords. Unknown to the girl herself, her tale had scored points with the swordsmen.

"Alright!" Luffy suddenly stood up and slammed his fist into his fist. Surprised, Zoro looked up at his Captain. He had the feeling he knew what was about to come next. "I've decided! Nausicaa's going to join my crew!

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**Okay, this was a short snippet. But Luffy's made up his mind and we all know he doesn't change it! Review~~~**

**Oh! And next week, I'm going on a trip so I'm not gonna update, ok?**


	5. Refusal

**One Piece does not belong to me! Aha, and here we have two snippets! I'm so proud of myself!  
**

**shinigame3: Thank you, thank you, thank you for being the first to review! So glad to know you like my story!**

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**Marsh**

Nausicaa blinked and looked at the scene in front of her with inquisitive eyes. "How exactly did you two get in this position?" she asked, trying not to smile and failing miserably.

Zoro glared at her. But seeing as he had muck all over his face and clothes and was currently stuck in a marsh, it didn't have quite the effect he wanted.

"Oh, hey, Nausicaa!" Luffy greeted, happy to see the young girl. "Could you help us out? We're stuck!"

"I can see that," she replied, very much amused.

Stuck was the correct word. Zoro was waist deep in the mud and his feet were all but permanently attached to the bottom. Luffy was even worse. He was chin deep in the mud and couldn't even move.

"How did you two even get in this situation? Most people don't go stomping all over the marsh. As you can se, it's a bit risky." She asked curiously from her position on a high tree branch. Reaching up, she grabbed a long vine and began to pull at it.

"We were looking for you! The old grandma said you spend a lot of time here." Luffy told her cheerfully, not in the least concerned with his current condition.

"Why?" upon successfully coiling the vine, she snapped her hand out and the vine shot out to land close to both Zoro and Luffy. "Grab that, would you."

"Okay." Luffy said, grabbing the vine. Zoro scowled but did the same. Nausicaa braced her feet, leaned forward, and_ tugged._

With a sickening squelch, Luffy and Zoro were yanked out of the mud and high into the air. Zoro cursed madly in the air while Luffy just laughed like a maniac. After a few seconds of uncontrollable falling, the two landed at the ground beneath the tree Nausicaa was on and tried to catch their breath.

Damn, Zoro thought to himself. Nausicaa was _strong_.

"So," she said conversationally, jumping down to look at the two. "Why were you two looking for me?"

"Oh, right! Join my crew, Nausicaa!" Luffy blurted out in all sincerity.

The young girl's eyes widened in surprise "What?!" she shouted, looking like she had just been sucker-punched.

Zoro groaned. This was going to be a long day.

**Family**

"Here," she murmured, handing Zoro a green fluffy towel as he got out of the clear river.

"Thanks," he said gruffly, taking the towel and drying himself and his clothes as best he could.

Following the marsh incident, Nausicaa had taken the pirates to a close-by river and they had dumped themselves in. She hadn't given an answer to Luffy's offer and he hadn't pressed for one. No one could have missed the pensive and thoughtful expression on her face though.

She said nothing in response, but waited patiently. Zoro took note of her uncharacteristic silence, but didn't comment on it. When he was done, she turned and led him back to her campsite where Luffy was already tearing into his meat with gusto.

Still saying nothing, she took a stick of meat and held it out to him. He took it and sat down a slump. Nausicaa turned and gathered up Nassir who had been basting in the sunlight and sat down on a log, her eyes downcast. She lightly pressed a kiss on his cheek. He whined and turned in her arms to rub his face against the distraught girl's. Nausicaa's only response was to hold him tighter. For some moments, all that could be heard were the sounds of meat being ripped off and chewed.

Suddenly, she raised her head and looked over to the opposite side of the clearing. Curious, the two pirates followed her line of sight and saw two full-grown leopards prowl out of the trees. One was a female with a gunshot scar on her back: Sascha, the one Nausicaa had claimed as family earlier. The other was a male, much larger than Sascha. He had multiple scars, made by swords and spears and guns. Upon seeing the two pirates, both let out threatening growls.

Zoro's eyes narrowed, and he lightly rested a sword on Wado Ichimonji. He didn't think Nausicaa would actually let them attack but best to be prepared. He would rather not be ripped into shreds by claws and teeth. He still had to be the World's Greatest Swordsman after all.

"No!" Nausicaa spoke up, frowning at the leopards. "Don't attack them. They won't hurt me."

The two subsided but continued eyeing the pirates warily as they stalked across to crowd around the young huntress. She leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to their cheeks and in response, they rubbed their face against hers. Zoro wondered at the ritual; he had seen her do this before when she had introduced Sascha and earlier with Nassir.

"It's a greeting," she said now, apparently catching the swordsmen's confusion. "A greeting between Pack."

Pack, huh. He assumed by that she meant family and she confirmed it with her next words.

Raising a hand she rested it on the male leopard's back. "This is Eryl. He's Sascha's mate and a member of my family. Eryl, this is Luffy and Zoro. Please don't use them as chewtoys."

"Nice to meetcha!" Luffy told the leopard, not in the least offset by Nausicaa's exasperated warning.

Zoro grunted in greeting, his mouth full of meat.

Eryl responded with a feline smile, one that revealed all of his sharp teeth. Nausicaa sighed at the display of manliness and the leopards settled down around her. She petted Sascha and Eryl absentmindely, lost in thought. The boys shrugged and went back to eating.

"No." she said without warning, a few minutes later.

Luffy blinked and looked up from his meat. "Nausicaa?" he questioned.

She looked up to stare at him, resolve in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Luffy, but I'm not joining your pirate crew."

He considered that for a second and then, just as firmly said, "No! I refuse your refusal."

Zoro groaned while Nausicaa looked flabbergasted. "You can't do that!" she said.

"Yes, I can." Luffy stated decisively. "You're joining my crew!"

"No, you can't!"

"Yes, I can!"

"No, you can't!"

And so it went on, the two arguing back and forth like a pair of toddlers while Zoro and the leopards looked on in amusement.

Finally, Nausicaa burst out, saying,"I can **not** join your crew, Luffy!"

Luffy frowned. "Why not?" he asked stubbornly.

Nausicaa sighed and sat back down on her log from where she had half-risen during their argument. "The hunters in the village." she revealed.

"Yeah?" Zoro prompted.

She hesitated and then said, "They're growing desperate. The village's population keeps on growing and so does the demand. Recently, they've started to hunt the leopards."

Ah. Well, that was a...problem.

"They're already gotten most of the Pack, in fact this little one's mama," she continued, looking at Nassir who whimpered and buried himself in her chest. "was killed by the hunters. I only just stopped them from killing him too. If I leave, Eryl and Sascha won't survive. And I won't abandon my family, Luffy. Not even for the sea."

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**So...my week long trip is now over and I can get back to updating! Now, would people please review? I like to know how I do! Pretty please...?**


	6. Dancer

**One Piece does not belong to me!**

**Faye: I'm so happy you liked chapter 7! Thank you for being the second to review!**

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**Dancer**

Zoro woke to the birds chipping. He blinked, yawning. Where...was he? Sitting up - and oh god, his back hurt, what had he been sleeping on? - he glanced around. He was sleeping on a bunch of tree sticks and he was in some sort of camp. Oh, right. Last night, Luffy had blatantly refused to go back to the village and an exasperated Nausicaa had let them stay over night. And that explained why he was so sore, he thought in annoyance. Luffy was snoring next to him, also asleep on a bunch of sticks, though knowing him and his rubbery ways, he probably wouldn't be sore at all. Darn devil fruit users.

The fire that had been roaring last night was completely out and the three leopards were curled up in a tangle near the fire pit. Zoro frowned. Nausicaa was nowhere in sight. Where had that girl gone now? And this early in the morning? The sun was barely over the horizon! Just as the thought crossed his mind, his sharp ears caught a twinkle of laughter on the early morning breeze. His curiosity piped, he got up with a groan. Walking to the edge of the clearing, he started to follow the laughter on the wind.

In minutes, he found himself on the edge of another clearing, this one's view completely blocked out by leaves and shrubs. But beyond them, he could clearly hear Nausicaa's sweet voice. He hesitated, not wanting to be labeled as a peeper, but his curiosity got the better of him. Using his right hand, he held back enough of the leaves for a good view. And then stared.

Nausicaa twirled around in a clearing that was really only filled by grass. Sparrows and butterflies and all sorts of birds fluttered around her happily, some even perched on her. She spun gracefully in a simple light green dress, laughing in delight. She seemed to _glow_. Zoro had never seen her with that smile on her face. Oh, she had smiled at him and Luffy before, but in comparison to this smile on her face, it was like a candle light against the sun itself.

Zoro heard a quiet rustle near him and unwillingly, he turned to look. Luffy, eyes wide, and hair mussed, popped up next to him. He stared at Nausicaa, jaw open. Zoro could relate. Upon confirming it wasn't a threat, he turned back to stare at the otherworldly seeming girl in front of him.

The sheer joy and happiness that radiated from her was impossible to deny. Around the clearing, she spun and twisted and stepped and danced. Beneath her bare feet, wildflowers and small grasses began to grow. Under the early sunlight, her hair seemed metallic, like it was true copper. In contrast, her green eyes were striking, mesmerizing. She was brilliant and luminescent and for the life of him, Zoro _could not_ understand how those villagers could brand this bright, beautiful girl as a Witch. A fairy was a much better term, he thought, dazed. A fairy of the wild, of spring, and new life.

And then, somehow, it got better. A sparrow that had been resting on Nausicaa's shoulder spoke up, chirping enthusiastically. At the very center of the clearing, she spun to a stop and gave the little bird her attention. If possible, her smile grew brighter after the sparrow stopped talking.

"You want to play that game?"she asked, her ringing voice thick with amusement and mirth. To Zoro's surprise and disbelief, the sparrow nodded! He didn't even know they could do that! Looks like the grandma was right. Nausicaa could speak to animals and understand them.

She giggled and said, "Then, let's play!"

At the last word, the creatures that had been fluttering around her dispersed all at once. Zoro blinked and in the corner of his eyes, he saw Luffy tilt his head in confusion. What was going on now? In every direction, the little creatures went, but they never left the clearing. Nausicaa herself didn't move from her position.

Instead, she shifted into a stance Zoro didn't recognize. It seemed like a cross between a combat offensive stance and the start of an intricate dance. He blinked and suddenly, she had twin knives in hand. His brow furrowed. He didn't understand how she seemed to be able to get her weapons from out of nowhere. Was it just pure speed? Or was it something else? He had never once seen how her weapons appeared in her hands.

He hurriedly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind when he saw the flying creatures return back to hover around Nausicaa. He would reflect on it later. He focused his attention back to the scene in front of him and then did a double take. Some of the birds were carrying leaves in their claws. The butterflies had petals and still others had small wildflowers. All of them hovered above Nausicaa, some zipping around in excitement.

She smiled indulgently and called out, "Ready?"

A chorus of chirps answered her.

"Okay. Ready, set, go!"

At the "go!" a dozen or so of the creatures let loose their item. And Nausicaa _moved_. She spun and the two knives left her hands in a flash of light and two more were in her hands. They left her hands too, and were promptly replaced. The knives pierced through the foliage with deadly accuracy, not one coming close to the creatures so dangerously close to their mistress. Some knives flew far and wide while others landed with their leaves only inches from her. Maybe a minute passed before a dozen more creatures let loose their foliage. And it went on.

Luffy and Zoro watched in wide eyed appreciation and stunned awe. Nausicaa's accuracy was smashing. No knife left her hand and didn't pierce some foliage or another. Moreover, none came near the two pirates - did she know they were there? - and while it wasn't obvious, they could tell the knives were very much directed. Not a single one went where it was not supposed to go. And though it wasn't the dance of life and praise she had danced before, this was still a dance nonetheless. A dance of life and death and lethal beauty. One the two pirates could very much appreciate.

A minute later, an hour later, an eternity later, the dance ended and Nausicaa twirled to a graceful stop. The little creatures flew around her, the birds chirping loudly and the butterflies flying in wild patterns.

Now that all the commotion was over, the two young pirates could see exactly what she had done. The knives and foliage had created a pattern around her. From a bird's eye view, it was a large, beautiful flower with Nausicaa in the center. Not a line or curve was out of place. Even the foliage had been thoughtfully placed, with the leaves, petals, and wildflowers in sequence. It was perfect.

Luffy's jaw dropped and Zoro's eyes threatened to fall out of his head. The whole thing had been incredibly quick. There was no way Nausicaa would have been able to check on her pattern. She had done the intricate design all but blindfolded. It was an incredible display of talent and skill.

Nausicaa looked straight at where the two pirates were and called out teasingly, "Enjoy the show, boys?"

Zoro sucked in a quick breath. So, she had known they were there all along. That was...really humiliating.

Luffy, being Luffy, shot right out to smash into Nausicaa. Her eyes widened, but she managed to steady herself.

"That was so COOL!" he exclaimed, grinning wildly.

Figuring he would only face more indignity if he kept hiding, Zoro walked out. "That was pretty impressive," he admitted.

She laughed softly, "Why, thank you."

"You've got to join my crew! You can be my dancer!" Luffy declared.

Zoro smirked in response to her tired sigh. Luffy didn't give up. He would know.

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**So, we learn more about Nausicaa's skills and Luffy becomes yet more determined to get her on the crew. Review and tell me what you think!**


	7. Dreams

**One Piece does not belong to me~~**

**But Nausicaa-chan does!**

**Faye: Thank you! I'll do my best!XD**

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**Dreams**

Nausicaa smiled softly at the sleeping figure of Monkey D. Luffy. Normally so energetic, all she felt from him now was peace and slight hunger. Figures he would still be thinking of food in his sleep.

After her morning exercise, he had all but demanded her take them hunting. She had agreed -she had nothing else to do, after all-, but it hadn't quite gone as planned. For one thing, the boys were loud. Far too loud. They scared away each and every animal within a 5 mile radius. Luffy had a tendency to wander off and Zoro got lost more than once.

Sometime in the mayhem, she had caught on to his devil fruit powers and when asked, he had told her he had eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit. They hadn't caught anything at all when they returned to camp at sunset, but they had all had a good time. After eating meat, the rubber man had gone right to sleep by the roaring fire.

Eryl had gone to sleep too, curled up with Nassir. Sascha and Zoro were the only ones still awake.

Speaking of the man, she looked up. Zoro was sitting directly across from her, the fire in the middle. He was staring into the flames, a faraway look in his eyes. He radiated resolve and determination. Hmm.

"Zoro?" she asked. He looked up and raised an eyebrow. Slight annoyance and interest sparked against her senses.

"Do you have a dream?"

The swordsman looked thoughtful and dropped a hand on one of his swords. The white one, she noted. One of the 21 O Wasamono grade swords.

"I do." he said finally. "I want to become the World's Strongest Swordsman."

Her eyes widened slightly. That...was unexpected yet also anticipated. She recognized the vibe he gave off. She had seen it many times in her childhood. But, no matter the resolve or will, they had all fallen to _him_, she thought with a frown. And powerful Zoro might be, he was still nowhere near the level of _him_.

"Are you willing to accept the consequence of your dream?" she questioned, images of a large, incredibly powerful black sword swinging down and blood splattering on the ground at her feet filling her mind. Unbidden, her hand clenched on her pants.

He glanced at her, his gaze far too perceptive. His curiosity and his wariness pressed against her, but he said, "I am." and his voice held no hesitation.

Nodding, Nausicaa said nothing more. A few minutes later though, Zoro asked, "Do you?"

Startled, she turned to stare at him. "What?"

"Do you have a dream?"

She hestitated, not sure if she wanted to share this or not. She had met Zoro only 3 days ago. He didn't press further, but she could feel his gaze.

_You might as well tell him, Mistress,_ Sascha told her, mind to mind, settling down to sleep. _They'll be leaving soon, anyways._

Yes, Luffy and Zoro would be leaving soon. They were pirates, they had big dreams, they could not stay forever on a small island in the East Blue, no matter the wishes of a young girl who wanted to sail on the seas, who wanted to see the world, who wanted to meet up with her human family again.

Nausicaa didn't know what Zoro saw on her face, but he suddenly said, "Hey. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, you know."

She smiled weakly. What do you know? The man had a heart. "It's fine. My dream...is to become the Legendary Summoner."

Zoro blinked. "Legendary Summoner?" he repeated.

"Mhmn." she confirmed. "Do you know what it is?"

"No." he said bluntly. "Never heard of it.

She laughed, "The Legendary Summoner is the one who has a contract and mastery over all nine of the Legendary Creatures."

Interest and attention peaked. He made a motion for her to go on.

Obliging him, she continued, "Legend has it that there are nine Legendary Creatures that exist in a different dimension. The unicorn, the phoenix, the tengus, the dragon, the basilisk, the goblins, the centaur, the thunderbird, and the griffin. A long time ago, they came to this one and made a contract with a human. He gained the ability to summon them at will and have them do his bidding."

"He was the first Legendary Summoner, right?" he asked lazily.

"Yes. Over time, he became arrogant and careless. One day, a man beat him in combat and demanded the Legendary Dragon in exchange. Before he knew it, he was no longer the Legendary Summoner and the contract of the Legendary Creatures had scattered all over the world."

Zoro frowned. "So...you're chasing a myth? How do you know there are these Legendary Creatures?"

She smiled mysteriously. "I know, because I already have a contract with two."

His eyes widened. "You do?" he bolted upright in surprise.

Her smile widened. "Yup! The unicorn and the phoenix."

Calming down, he settled back against his rock. "You won't be able to chase after this dream, if you stay on this island." he pointed out, calculatedly. A quiet determination began to brew behind drowsiness.

She groaned. "Don't you get started on me too! I've lost count of the amount of times Luffy's asked me."

Zoro smirked and layed down, obviously getting ready to sleep. He was snoring within 5 minutes.

Unfortunately, Nausicaa couldn't get her mind to settle. She stared into the fire for a long time, ignoring the rising moon. Her mind in turmoil, she didn't sleep until midnight. And even then, his words echoed around her dreams. What was she going to do?

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**So we learn about Nausicaa's dream! And any ideas on who her background? Am I keeping Zoro in character? I'm trying, I promise. Review~~**


	8. Problems

**I'm back! Not that I ever went anywhere in the first place...**

**leebee14:** **Oh, I'm gonna keep this story going. And thank you for reviewing!**

**Ooh, and we have some action today!  
**

**Warning: Attempted Rape in Scene**

**Thank you to Pahreza and MugiwaraMarimo who agreed to be my betas! Gotta throw a party!**

**One Piece does not belong to me, darnnit!**

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**Walk**

Nausicaa smiled joyfully at the blue sky. Today looked to be a beautiful day! Blue skies and a bright sun coming up the horizon. Glancing around, she noticed that Luffy and Zoro were still asleep. Not surprising, considering it was really only seven in the morning by the position of the sky. She woke up this early entirely by habit. Sighing, she moved restlessly. Normally, she would be taking a walk right about now...talking with the early birds and squirrels. Well...they could take care of themselves for a few minutes, right?

She made up her mind - she really wanted to do something - and got on her feet. She glanced at her leopards. Eryl and Nassir were already awake, the cub squirming adorably. Sascha, the lazy-head, was awake but still curled up in a ball, eyes shut. Upon feeling her gaze, she opened one green eye to glance at her. Upon finding her awake and alert, she let out a low grumble, closed her eye, and buried her head back into her paws.

Quickly raising a hand to smother her giggles, Nausicaa ducked behind some trees to change into a brown shirt and pants. It wouldn't do for one of the boys to wake up and see her naked. Stepping out, she called to Eryl and Nassir mind to mind,_ "Good morning, boys. Want to go for a walk with me?"_

Eryl let out a grumble of agreement and got to his paws. Nassir all but bounced up, yipping out, _"We're going for a walk! A walk!"_

She smiled sweetly and started to lead the way.

**Ambush**

It was maybe 6 minutes later that it happened. The event that she would remember for the rest of her life.

After saying hello to the birds and chatting with the squirrels, Nausicaa and her companions were on their way back to their camp when Eryl lifted his head and growled.

_"Mistress!" _he yowled.

Concerned and wary, she stopped moving and looked at him in worry.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

_"The hu-" _A shot, loud and frightening ran through the air.

To Nausicaa, it seemed to happen in slow motion. The bullet shot through the air, and she was turning, but she wasn't fast enough, wouldn't be fast enough, and then it grazed by her arm to hit Eryl. And as he was falling to the ground, his mighty body giving out, a spurt of blood rained over the grass. Dimly, she could hear Nassir's frightened cry and the slow trickle of warm blood running down her arm, but all she could concentrate on was the scene in front of her. It was a shot through the head. Eryl's powerful chest no longer rose and fell. She could hear a strange roaring in her ears; hear her heart pounding in her chest. Eryl was dead. ERYL WAS DEAD! He was killed by the hunters. The hunters...Kashiwa...

Just as suddenly as it slowed down, time speed back up and she saw a man step out of the trees. He was blond and muscular and he had been pestering her for years. Now, while Eryl was dead on the ground, and Nassir was whimpering, he had a large smile on his face.

"There you go, my sweet darling. That giant beast is dead and he won't be bothering you anymore. Isn't that better?" In his hands, there was a rifle. The rifle that had killed Eryl, she though numbly. The man that killed Eryl. **The man that killed Eryl.**

She saw red.

Charging at Kashiwa with a choked out, grief filled cry, she raised a hand that held a lethally sharp dagger. But he chuckled, low and confident.

"I wouldn't do that, my fierce lady. Look over there." He nodded behind her.

Not wanting to, but knowing she had to; Nausicaa looked and felt like throwing up. Naasir, innocent, sweet Naasir, was being held by a bulky man firmly by the neck, a knife held up to plunge into his vulnerable belly. No...No! How could they do this?

"No..." she heard as if from a long distance. The voice was familiar and she realized she was the one talking- no, yelling. "Not him! NOT HIM!"

That infuriating, vile, evil man grinned at her. "Then, will you surrender my lady?" He held out a piece of rope.

_Mistress, no! _Naasir cried out.

She stared at Kashiwa, ignoring the cub. It wasn't a choice. She dropped her dagger and held out her arms. Though she tried to shove the revolting idea into the back of her mind, Nausicaa knew what he wanted from her. And she knew that as long as he had Naasir at his mercy, she would do nothing to stop him. Not even if what he wanted was hers and hers alone. She had never shared her body before. Not with anyone. But today...she closed her eyes and pretended she couldn't feel the rope winding punishingly tight around her wrists and ankles. Naasir, she reminded herself. She was doing this for Naasir. She wouldn't regret it. Not now, not ever.

**Trouble**

Sascha was dozing in the sunlight, happily. Absentmindedly, she stretched out her lean body and rolled over. Those humans that her Mistress had bought into their territory were still asleep, the one who smelled of rubber snoring loudly and the blood-drenched one with the blades shifting restlessly. Her Mistress, her mate, and the cub hadn't come back from their morning walk yet. It wasn't unusual for them to take long walks, but she would have thought her Mistress would have come back to check on the humans by now.

Lazily, her tail lashed and she shrugged off the thought. They were probably just taking their time, she assured herself.

Everything was quiet and peaceful, but then the wind shifted. And it all changed.

She leapt up with a ferocious growl, the wind carrying the scent of her mate's blood and that of her Mistress's. Lifting her nose to the air, she drew in a large breath. There was a lot of blood. So much. She let out a whimper before forcing herself to focus once more. Blood, Eryl's...the Mistress's...and there! Underneath the blanket of vital fluid, her sharp nose caught a whiff of iron and steel. Hunters.

On her feet, the female leopard paced restlessly. She wanted to help her Mistress and check up on her mate and the cub, but her Mistress had expressively told them all not to go near the hunters. At any and all costs. What could she do?

Her green eyes fell on the humans. Yes. They were strong. They could help her Mistress.

Bounding over, she hesitated. How could she wake them up? Her Mistress had said not to bite them and she did not want them to attack her. Getting an idea, she stalked over to the green-haired human, lowered her head to his ear, and let out a deafening growl.

He jumped and rolled to his lower paws, one front paw on his weapon. His eyes quickly settled on hers and he frowned.

"What the hell?" He growled. Sascha ignored him. He was awake. That was all that mattered.

Padding over to the human who smelled of rubber and acted like a cub, she did the exact same thing. He let out a loud yell in response and tried to hit her with one of his strangely lengthening front paws. She dodged and in retaliation, cuffed him on the head.

He let out a yelp. On any other occasion, she would have chuffed at this behavior, but she was frantic now. Impatiently, her tail lashed behind her. This was taking too long.

"Eeeh? Why'd you wake me?" The rubber cub barked out.

She growled and carefully clamping her teeth around his fake fur, she began to tug in the direction of her Mistress. She could feel her Mistress' distress - all the forest animals could - and it was starting to grow bigger. She needed to hurry and make these stupid humans understand!

"What is she doing?" the other human asked while the rubber cub stood there unmoving. Sascha let out a whine. They weren't doing ANYTHING!

The rubber cub looked at her. He looked at the campsite. His next words had her freezing in surprise.

"Nausicaa's in trouble, isn't she?" He yipped, a rare seriousness in his voice.

She stared at him in relief and confusion. Of the two, she hadn't expected the cub to understand first, but she was grateful nonetheless. Her Mistress' distress had reached painful levels.

Sascha bobbed her head up and down like she had seen her Mistress do and resumed tugging on the cub's fake fur.

To her consolation, he started to move.

"Come on, Zoro! We're going to help Nausicaa." He snarled. The human who smelled of blood and iron bobbed his head slowly and the cub looked back at her. "Lead the way, Sascha."

She let out an approving bark. Letting go of his fake fur, she bounded forward and led the humans towards her Mistress.

**Pretend**

Nasuicaa was on the floor. She couldn't really move with her hands and feet tied up. Thankfully, she could see Naasir. The bastards had tied him up too, but he wasn't hurt.

The bastard on top of her, pinning her down with his weight, smirked down at her. He had already kissed her forcibly. She hadn't bitten his tongue off when he had forced it into her mouth though she had certainly been tempted. But that would have jeopardized Naasir and she would never have done that. Nausicaa still couldn't believe Kashiwa would do this. Yes, she had known he desired her; heck, he had chased after her for 2 years, but this...

Kashiwa placed his hands on her shoulders, and began to slide them down. Nausicaa closed her eyes and pretended she wasn't there. Pretended this wasn't happening. Pretended she couldn't feel his hands creeping underneath her shirt. Pretended Eryl wasn't dead. She pretended she wasn't going to be taken against her will. She pretended and pretended and quietly hoped this would be over soon.

**Rage**

Luffy didn't know what was going on. Oh, he knew that there was something wrong, that something bad was happening to Nausicaa, but he didn't know what! And that really pissed him off. Nausicaa was his nakama even if she wouldn't join his crew yet and he didn't want her hurt.

Sascha was racing ahead of the two boys, her movements quick and frantic. Zoro hadn't said anything, but Luffy knew he was worried too. That was just like Zoro.

They ran and ran. They ran until Sascha suddenly slowed down. Confused, he looked at his first mate. What was the leopard doing? They needed to help Nausicaa!

Zoro put a finger to his mouth. Oh, they needed to be quiet, then. Luffy didn't like to be quiet, but if this would help Nausicaa, he would do it. They crept around the trees and Sascha led them to a bunch of bushes. They huddled close to the ground and Zoro stealthily moved aside some branches. He stiffened, his eyes cold.

Luffy couldn't see what was going on from his angle, but he felt his blood chill at the look on his swordsman's face. He shifted impatiently to try and see what was going on and murderous rage exploded in him at the scene that appeared before his eyes.

His dancer was on the ground, hands and feet tied, and Kashiwa on top of her. He was plundering her mouth, his hands roaming over her small form. Her shirt was torn open to expose a nude bra and her hair was mussed. Surprisingly, Nausicaa wasn't struggling. No, her face was blank, numb, and her eyes weren't even on her attacker. Luffy followed her gaze and realized why she was going along with this. The leopard cub was tied up and a bulky man was holding a knife to him threateningly. Not far away, Eryl lied on the floor; dead, body cooling.

Luffy rocketed out of his hiding spot with a roar, arm extended, and fingers already bunched together in a fist. He knew without looking that Zoro had followed him, swords out. His fist hit Kashiwa's smug, handsome, smirking face directly on the left cheek and sent him flying.

"**Get. Off. My. Dancer!**" He shouted, landing protectively in front of Nausicaa. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Zoro swiftly cutting the man holding Naasir hostage to pieces. There was no mercy in his actions and Luffy felt only approval. These men deserved no mercy. None.

Sascha darted out of her hiding place to run to Eryl's dead body. She let out a mournful howl and crouched next to him in misery for a moment. Running over to Naasir, she sniffed him. Upon finding that he was okay, she placed herself firmly in front of the frightened cub.

Kashiwa hastily rose to his feet with a spear in his hands. "You interfering little brats!" He screamed and charged at them.

Luffy stepped forward to fight him. He knew Zoro would, but out loud he said anyways, "Zoro! Take care of our dancer!"

"Aye, aye Captain." He heard him promise right before Luffy threw himself at Kashiwa.

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**Review!**


	9. Catalyst

**One Piece does not belong to me!**

**ZabuzasGirl: I'll try! Thanks for reviewing!**

**leebee14: Good to know you like my story! I won't stop anytime soon, I assure you!**

**Death and Blood and Gore in this scene. Oh and cursing, but they are pirates and jerks after all.**

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**Watch**

Zoro quickly got to the bound girl. Gripping his bloody sword, he asked, "Ready?"

Nausicaa stared up at him, her normally expressive eyes blank and dull. Zoro hated it. "Ready." She whispered, but Zoro heard it.

He nodded, swinging Wado Ichimonji down in a single arc. A second later, the ropes fell off her in two pieces. Nausicaa sat up slowly, automatically gripping the two edges of her torn shirt together.

"Hey," Zoro muttered, sheathing his sword and kneeling down. He slung his right arm across her shoulder, holding on to her tightly, able to easily feel the tremors that shook her small frame. "It'll be alright."

The assaulted girl said nothing in response, but he felt her tremors increase until she was shaking uncontrollably. Her emerald green eyes swung around the clearing until they were focused on Sascha and Naasir.

"Naasir..." she called out weakly, her voice breaking. The leopard cub let out a relived whine and ran to his Mistress, Sascha shadowing him. Bounding up to her, he threw himself into hands that instinctively came up to catch him. Nausicaa cuddled her cub close to her chest and bended her head to give him a gentle kiss.

Lifting her head, she breathed, "I'm sorry. I couldn't save him." to Sascha.

The leopardess growled in both acknowledgement and sorrow. She padded up to her Mistress and gently rubbed her face against her cheek in forgiveness. Nausicaa closed her eyes for a moment, taking comfort in the affection.

Sascha withdrew, feeling her Mistress regain a fraction of her equilibrium. Stalking to the side of the trio, she took up position as sentinel. Nobody and nothing would get through her to hurt them.

Nausicaa leaned into Zoro's protective hold and together, they all watched the battle between Luffy and Kashiwa.

**Nakama**

Luffy looked on unflinchingly as Kashiwa charged with his spear.

"I'll make you pay!" he promised furiously.

The bastard scoffed and jabbed his spear forward. "And how will you do that, you pathetically weak asshole?"

Luffy jumped up and out of the way with ease. "Like this," he said simply. Swinging his right arm a few times, he threw back a fist and called out, "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"

Kashiwa's jaw dropped as, in front of his incredulous eyes, Luffy's arm stretched out. "Wha-" was all he managed to get out before the returning fist struck his face with tremendous strength.

He went rocketing back and crashed into several trees before he came to a stop.

Luffy watched his progress with grim, angry eyes.

His enemy pushed himself to his feet coughing. Kashiwa rasped out, "Wha-Who the hell are you?"

"Monkey D. Luffy. I'm going to be the King of the Pirates." Luffy stated with conviction.

The blonde spat out a glop of blood at Luffy's feet. The Pirate didn't bother trying to avoid it. "Dream on, kid. Someone like you could never be Pirate King."

In answer, Luffy drew back his foot. "Gomu Gomu no Muchi," he announced and kicked his stretched leg in a wide circle.

Gritting his teeth, Kashiwa jumped high in the air, managing to avoid the blow. Raising his spear with a loud war cry, he aimed it directly at Luffy's head. "Why are you putting in so much effort for that bitch, anyway?"

The Straw Hat Pirate dodged the blow effortlessly, his face darkening at the village hunter's question. "Nausicaa isn't a bitch! She's my nakama and you hurt her!" he declared, punching the older man in the face as he landed awkwardly.

Kashiwa narrowed his eyes, stumbling back a few steps. This battle wasn't going at all like he thought it was going to be. Looks like he would have to pull out his secret weapon. "Take this, you freak!" he screamed, pulling out a large flintlock. Dazed and in pain, he shot at the rubber man wildly.

Luffy stood there calmly even as five bullet hit him square him in the chest and he bent over in "pain". "Hah! Got you, you piece of shit! Now, you're just a dead corpse! I told you, you'll never be Pirate King!" the hunter boasted smugly.

"Not! Bullets don't work on me!" the 'dead corpse' exclaimed, jumping up and shooting the bullets right back at Kashiwa. He started with a jump, letting out a high-pitched squeal.

"You **are** a freak!" he yelled out, pointing accusingly at his opponent.

"No. I'm a rubber man." Luffy corrected.

"It's the same thing!" Kashiwa screamed. Thoroughly frightened and scared out of his wits - it looked like his village's superstitions did have its impact - he began to shoot uncontrollably.

The Pirate Captain stared at him blankly, not moving an inch. As expected, the bullets bounced off him with no impact at all. He tilted his head; he felt like he was forgetting something. Shaking it off - if it was important, he was sure it would come back to him - Luffy was preparing to finish the ass off when a blood-curdling scream stopped him cold.

Spinning around hastily, Luffy's eyes widened. And he remembered what it was that he had forgotten.

**Knew  
**

Nausicaa was numb and in pain and so, so cold, but she saw it coming.

A stray bullet that had missed Luffy.

She watched it come, almost in slow motion, and knew that she would die today.

"Fuck," the dancer heard Zoro curse, felt him pull his arm back to draw his swords, but it was too late. He wouldn't make it, she knew. Like a dream, his desperation and fear beat at her, but she didn't feel it. She was so cold. Too cold.

Her eyes watched the bullet and her mind calculated its path. If nothing stopped it, if nothing interfered, it would collide directly with Naasir. She couldn't allow that, wouldn't allow that.

Nausicaa turned herself so Naasir was protected by her own body, her arms maintaining her tight hold on her cub. She had let Eryl die today. Naasir would not follow his uncle.

_"No!"_ her cub cried.

Poor, sweet Naasir. To have both his uncle and his Mistress die in the same day. It would be okay though. He would be alive and Sascha would take care of him. If not Sascha, then Luffy and Zoro would. She knew they would, knew it with all of her heart.

Closer, and closer the bullet came. Her eyes followed it unwaveringly. Three feet, two, one...she closed her eyes. For all that she had chosen this path, she did not want to look death in the eye as it claimed her.

One second passed, then another, but she did not feel a bullet's burning brand. Slowly, ever so slowly, a dark, painful suspicion grew in her heart.

"Shit." she heard Zoro whisper and his desperation changed to something far worse. Pain and regret and sorrow clanged in her ears and they were loud. So very loud though she didn't want to hear them, didn't want to know.

_"Mistress..."_ Sascha whispered to her and her deep, rumbling voice was too faint. Threaded with agony and the dark, dark touch of death.

Nausicaa knew. She knew what had happened, but she didn't want to open her eyes and see. Didn't want to, but she had to, didn't she? Had to know what happened. Slowly, the dagger-user opened her eyes, and felt the distinct sound of her heart breaking. Breaking, shattering into a thousand pieces.

_"Sascha!"_

**Mistake**

Luffy knew he had messed up. Fucked up so darn bad he knew he would never be able to fix it. The Pirate Captain could give a punch as powerful as a pistol, stretch bizarrely, and beat up assholes up and down the East Blue, but he could not stop the blood gushing from Sascha's neck, could not keep his dancer's heart from breaking.

The Straw Hat pirate watched somberly as Nausicaa all but threw Naasir at Zoro, and crawled on her knees to throw her arms around the dying leopardess.

A callous snort drew his attention back to Kashiwa. The village hunter had a disgusting smirk on his face, saying, "So, I got the stupid, terrorizing leopard bitch. The villagers are going to scream my name!"

Luffy stilled, his only movement the clenching and unclenching of his fist. He turned deliberately slow, a murderous expression on his face. Some previously unheard of primitive warning flared in Kashiwa and he paled, laughing nervously, "Hey now, pirate-san. I was joking, you know how it is.."

Luffy didn't stop, but continued advancing on the sweating blonde, that dark look on his face. The older man gulped and raised his spear horizontally in a weak defense when the pirate stopped a bare two feet again.

The Straw Hat Pirate didn't hesitate, throwing both of his arms back. He bought his fists back, rapidly punching at Kashiwa, shouting, "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"

The spear stood no chance. It broke by the second punch. Over and over, Luffy punched Kashiwa ruthlessly. Finally, he smashed the poor excuse of a man against an ancient red oak.

Luffy cracked his knuckles and prepared to finish him off with a Gomu Gomu no Bazooka, but was once again interrupted.

**Ice**

"No, no, no." Nausicaa whimpered, her arms around her long-time friend, and her eyes on the bullet wound in her neck. "No, please..."

_"Hush, Mistress. Listen to me now." _Sascha chided softly.

Panic and desperation threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced them back down, forced herself to nod. The bullet wound was too fatal, her powers too weak. She could not save Sascha, her logical mind knew. It didn't make things easier.

Sascha raised a trembling paw and gently placed it on her cheek. _"Go with the leaf-haired one and the one who smells of rubber, Mistress. They'll be good for you."_

Mutely, she shook her head. The ice that had been shattered by Sascha's wound crept sneakily around her heart and began to spread once more. She had felt this ice once before, she realized dimly. The night her father had died. The day her mother had died. It would take her over soon enough, she knew.

The leopardess weakly cuffed her. _"Listen, you stubborn cub!"_

Nausicaa blinked. Sascha had not called her a cub for a long time. She listened, the ice whispering through her veins.

She wheezed for breath, the light in her eyes starting to fade. _"When I am dead, there will be no one left to hold you to this island. Those silly villagers will blame the hunter's death on you and you will be hunted by them. Go, go to the sea with your new Pack. They are good, for humans. Promise me." _

The Lady of the Forests hesitated.

_"Promise me!"_ Sascha demanded.

Nausicaa closed her eyes for a moment before opening them once more. "I promise," she whispered, the ice close, awfully close to conquering her once again.

_"Good...take care of Naasir..."_ her oldest friend breathed; her eyes closing, and her paw sliding from Nausicaa's head. She didn't move or speak again. Her chest didn't move, her heart no longer beat.

The ice took Nausicaa over.

**Punishment**

Numb, so deeply numb, she stood up. Zoro stared at her, Naasir held safely with one muscular arm. The cub was whimpering, curled up in a ball. The swordsman frowned, his worry and quiet sympathy brushing past her senses.

"Nausicaa?" he questioned.

She flicked him a glance and turned to pay attention to the fight between Luffy and Kashiwa. Her molester was getting his ass kicked, she noted distantly. Just when it looked like Luffy was going to finish the fight, she interrupted.

"Luffy, no!" she called out.

The rubber man twisted so he could face her. "Nausicaa?" he asked, unknowingly repeating Zoro.

"He's mine." she told him.

Luffy observed her with his deep brown eyes. She wasn't certain what it was that he was looking for, but he nodded and stepped aside. Nausicaa walked up to the pitiful figure of Kashiwa Jakan. His eyes widened and his face paled when he saw her and she wondered what he saw.

"Are you ready for your punishment, hunter?" she inquired coldly.

He gulped. "Pu-punishment?"

"Well," she said, "Did you think you could get away with killing off my Pack, my family that easily?"

* * *

**Review!**


	10. Explosion

**One Piece does not belong to me.**

**Taiya N. Strantegar: Heh, heh, sorry. Hope I don't disappoint and thank you for reviewing!**

* * *

_Last time:_

_"He's mine." she told him._

_Luffy observed her with his deep brown eyes. She wasn't certain what it was that he was looking for, but he nodded and stepped aside. Nausicaa walked up to the pitiful figure of Kashiwa Jakan. His eyes widened and his face paled when he saw her and she wondered what he saw._

_"Are you ready for your punishment, hunter?" she inquired coldly._

_He gulped. "Pu-punishment?"_

_"Well," she said, "Did you think you could get away with killing off my Pack, my family that easily?"_

* * *

**Retribution  
**

"N-no." Kashiwa stammered. "What would you like? My money? I'll leave you alone from now on, I promise."

Nausicaa smiled. It wasn't friendly. "No."

Slowly, ever so slowly, she stalked forward, her movements carrying their usual dancer's grace, but today, there was an edge of predatory danger. When she was right in front of the man who had assaulted her, she stopped and began to circle him, much like a leopardess would do with her prey. "Do you know who I am, Kashiwa Jakan?"

His breath coming in quick gasps, he choked out, "N-nausicaa?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Yes. But I'm more than that. Do you know who I am?

Cloudy blue eyes watching the dangerous girl with freight, he shook his head, sweating profusely.

Languidly, gently, she touched her left pointer finger to his left cheek, let it drag with her steps around the terrified man until her finger fell off. "They," she whispered in his ear, "call me Mistress of the Wild. Lady of the Forests."

Without warning, she spun away from him to stop a few feet away from him. "You're a hunter, Kashiwa. Supposedly the best hunter of all. Do you know the first law of the wild?

Some of his usual arrogance surfaced and he snarled, "Of course! Survival of the fittest."

"Hmm," she hummed. "I suppose. But there's something else."

"What?" he gasped.

She smiled darkly and closed her eyes. Kashiwa looked at her with confusion. Behind her, Luffy and Zoro watched the scene quietly, no trace of the humor or laughter that was normally on their faces.

Copper, wild copper light flared around her. Kashiwa gasped, his face paling. Luffy's eyes widened and if the situation hadn't been so somber, he would have shouted about how cool his dancer's powers were. Zoro stared at the girl in shock. The hell?

Nausicaa opened her eyes, the emerald orbs of her eyes seeming to glow in the copper light. "Equal exchange, hunter. An eye for an eye. A life for a life."

Understanding struck the 'best hunter of the village' like a lightning bolt. Eyes widening, he began to crawl backwards hurriedly. Where was his spear? Oh right. The fucking kid had broken it, leaving him defenseless against this demoness. The village elders had been right. She was a Witch!

The Mistress of the Wild followed the man's progress, her steps sure and lethal. "I wouldn't, Kashiwa. Why don't you look behind you?"

Nearly to the tree line by now, Kashiwa faltered. The hair on the back of his neck stood upright in warning. Pale as a sheet, he turned and met the amber eyes of a wolf. Letting out a short scream, the blonde threw himself away from the predator and landed against brown fur.

Wait. Brown fur?

Blood chilling, he looked up. A bear met his eyes, a bear that let out the most ferocious growl he had ever heard. Squealing, he propelled himself to the other side of the clearing and encountered a laughing hyena. Sobbing, he crawled forward to collapse at the feet of the Lady of the Forests. Everywhere he looked, he saw bloodthirsty, destructive predators at the top of the food chain. "Wha?" he whimpered, looking up at the pitiless face of his tormentor.

"My blood, Kashiwa."

"I don't understand," he choked out.

"My blood," she repeated, lifting a hand to touch a finger to the bleeding wound on her left arm. "The second my blood spilled in this forest, every animal knew. Every last one. And those that could fight, could harm, could kill, gathered here. Here where the man that shot their Mistress lies."

He moaned.

"I want nothing more to tear you into pieces with my own bare hands, Kashiwa," she continued, her calm, cold tone never changing. "But, my wishes or not, Eryl and Sascha belonged to the wild. And so, I will let the wild take its retribution."

Nausicaa took a step back and the predators took a step forward. Out of the shadows of the trees, the blonde realized they surrounded him in a impenetrable circle. Wolves, lynxes, bears, and hyenas. So many predators. Silently, their Mistress raised her right arm parallel to her body, her palm open towards the sky and her fingers outstretched.

"No, no, please." Kashiwa Jakan pleaded, looking into eyes of emerald green that held no mercy, no sympathy.

Nausicaa observed him for a few seconds, her face unreadable. Then, she smiled, cold and merciless. "Do you think I'll have any mercy on _you_? You who killed two of my closest companions?"

Kashiwa shook his head in silent denial even as she took a step back once more and the predators advanced. They were only a few feet from the blonde now.

"You," she whispered. "must be even more naive than I thought."

With that, she brought down her hand across the air in front of her in a brutally slashing move. The predators pounced and the most magnificent hunter of the small village knew no more.

**Tears**

Nausicaa watched the animals she had called tear her enemy to bloody pieces and felt nothing. Just the cold, the ice that infused her veins.

She watched and watched until there was nothing left of the man who had hurt her so.

When it was done, when it was over, she whispered, "Thank you." to the ones who had come to her in her hour of need.

The alpha wolf padded over to his Mistress and rubbed his body against her leg. _"It is the least we could do for you, my Lady."_ he growled, speaking for the group as a whole. _"Good luck on your journey, our Guardian."_

She smiled weakly "Thank you," she repeated and gently scratched the wolf's head. She did not ask how the animals knew she would be leaving.

The wolf purred in response. Turning, he bounded back in front of her. To her surprise, the alpha of the forest turned to face her and majestically bowed his large head to her. Before she could respond, he faded away, back into the forest like the rest of the top predators of the forest.

Nausicaa stood still for a moment, numb and cold, and feeling impossibly, painfully lonely.

Finally, she turned and walked back to Luffy and Zoro and Naasir.

Luffy and Zoro watched her with serious faces, worry and sadness in their eyes. She ignored them, ignored their regret, ignored it all. Mutely, she stopped in front of Zoro and held out her hands for Naasir. He gave her the cub without comment. The pirate's quiet sympathy and apprehension fluttered against her. She ignored it, pretended she hadn't felt it.

Once he was safely in her arms, Naasir let out a soft whine, gently licking her cheek in question. She didn't answer.

Walking with faltering steps to Sascha's cooling body, she stopped in front of the leopardess. Abruptly, her legs gave out and the copper-haired girl found herself on her knees beside the cold corpse. Nausicaa stared blankly at her former companion. A large crack went across the ice protecting her. It threatened to shatter, to break.

Warm arms wrapped around her. She turned to stare flatly at the Straw Hat Pirate who had taken a seat on her left side. Luffy's warm brown eyes met hers and she saw, felt only gentle concern and affection and boundless resolve. Another crack echoed across the ice.

A gentle hand pressed against her lower back; rubbed up and down in comfort. Quietly, the swordsman kneeled on her other side. She turned to look at him and he met her eyes squarely. To her relief, no pity scratched against her. In her current condition, it would have been a nail dragging down chalkboard. Zoro's emotions were almost a mirror image of his Captain's. Determination and worry and warmth. The ice fractured.

"It's okay," Luffy whispered into her ear. "You won't be alone. We won't let you. You're our nakama."

The ice shattered.

Closing her eyes, Nausicaa leaned into Luffy' embrace, into Zoro's care, and let herself cry.

* * *

**So sad..TT-TT...Tell me what you think! And as always, thanks to my betas, Pahreza and MugiwaraMarimo!**


	11. Departure

**One Piece is not mine! But Nausicaa and Naasir are! Get your paws off them , you hear!**

**RosyFire: Nausicaa is totally badass! She'll recover soon, don't worry!**

**leebee14: No intention of stopping! XD**

**Oh and angst.**

* * *

**Choice**

Luffy looked at his dancer with worry. She had cried, long and hard on his chest. Nausicaa had shook, like a leaf he had once seen caught in a strong gust of wind, and she had sobbed like he had when Sabo had died. He knew that pain, could understand it. But now, she was silent in his arms and Luffy didn't understand this, didn't know what to do.

Lost, he looked up at Zoro. The swordsman still had his hand on Nausicaa's back, was still rubbing it up and down in a soothing motion. He was looking at her with a frown, but seemed to sense Luffy's gaze and glanced up. Catching the confused look on the younger boy's face, the green-haired man shrugged. Whatever Luffy chose to do now was up to him.

Luffy looked down again at the young woman in his embrace and made his choice without hesitation. "Will you join my crew, Nausicaa?" he asked quietly.

She raised her head and gazed directly into his eyes. The dancer's face was tear-stained, but her green eyes were clear. The Mistress of the Wild stared at the Straw Hat Pirate for an indeterminable amount of time.

Luffy waited patiently. Something told him now was not the time to be impatient, to push. This could be his chance to get Nausicaa into his crew. All that was left was for her to choose.

Nausicaa thought, decided, _chose_.

"Alright," she whispered, her voice rough.

Despite the solemn situation, the Pirate Captain grinned, nearly splitting his face into with his triumph and joy. She had agreed!

"But." the copper-haired girl said, a trace of fierce resolve in her voice. "There's something I want to do first."

Luffy paused. "What is it?"

In answer, she turned to look at Eryl and Sascha.

**Farewell**

"This good enough?" Zoro asked, eying the twin piles of soil in front of him.

"It should be fine." Nausicaa replied.

The swordsman glanced at her uncertainly. After she had changed into a pretty brown peasant dress, they had dug up two graves for the leopards in a clearing Nausicaa had led them to and buried Eryl and Sascha. The boys had offered to smooth down the soil, but she had insisted they leave it as it was.

Zoro wasn't quite sure how to interact with Nausicaa. Her face was worn and tired, but she refused to sleep. Since her breakdown in the forest, she seemed...melancholy and gloomy. All the fight and spirit looked as if it had been drawn out of her.

"What are you going to do, now?" Luffy questioned curiously from his position beside Zoro.

"You'll see." she replied simply. "Step over there, please." she gestured toward the trees at the edge of the clearing where Naasir was sitting.

Luffy tilted his head and Zoro frowned, but they did as she said.

Nausicaa stood in the very center of the clearing, head bowed, and her body language screaming fatigue and depression. Taking a deep breath, she took a step forward, her bare feet touching some of the soil of the graves. Raising an arm, she dropped something small in the middle of the graves.

The swordsman frowned harder. What was she doing?

Stepping back gracefully, she straightened up in front of the graves. Then, she lifted her arms and _danced_.

Zoro had seen her dance before. Twice. But...this was different. The first dance had been a dance of welcoming, a celebration of a new day. It had been a dance of joy and hope. The second dance had been a dance of death and excitement, a display of lethal skill. Beautiful, but deadly nonetheless.

This dance was neither, was different from both as the moon is from the sun. The dance Nausicaa danced now was a dance of mourning and nostalgia. It was dance of sadness and bittersweet memories, but it was also a dance of farewell and gratefulness.

She danced in circles, her motions smooth and slow, moving with the graves as the center point. She spun around them on light feet and began to glow a soft copper. Around and around she went around the graves, her circle growing ever wider, and the glow around her growing ever stronger. Small wildflowers and new grass sprung up beneath her feet.

Before the two pirates' incredulous eyes, a tree began to grow in the graves. It shot up out of the soil and continued to grow in fast motion. It was as if the decades were passing by in front of their eyes. Around and around the sapling, Nausicaa danced, her hands waving in the air, and the tree grew larger and larger. Branches and leaves appeared and still she danced.

A rustle above them caught Zoro's attention and he wrenched his eyes from Nausicaa to glance up. A sparrow had landed on the tree branch above them. To his right, a quartet of squirrels sat quietly on a single tree branch. Zoro flicked a glance behind him to find a doe and her baby.

Startled, he swept his gaze around the edges of the clearing. A pack of wolves behind some bushes, clusters of birds on high branches, two foxes on a bush, an eagle on the branch above the bush. It looked as if most of the forest population had gathered around them. He considered this for a moment and shrugged it off. All of the animals were watching Nausicaa with a steady gaze, the birds weren't even chirping. They were probably here for her.

He returned his eyes back to the Lady of the Forests to see she had reached the place where the distance to the center and the edge of the forests was the same. By now, the tree was 13 feet tall and looking to be a healthy, young tree. Towards the edge of the clearing Nausicaa danced in circles, her movements flawless, never faltering. Copper strands of light reached out from the dancer to coil around the growing tree.

She danced and danced. To the edge of the clearing, she danced and she passed by the two pirates. Her eyes closed and her face relaxed, Nausicaa looked peaceful, the most peaceful he had seen her since the disaster with Kashiwa. It was...strange seeing the small flowers and grass spring up where her feet had landed on the ground.

Around the clearing she went and she began to make her way back to the center, her body moving to a music no one else could hear. The tree was 26 feet tall now, and it began to grow flowers. Big, beautiful, orange flowers appeared and opened to reveal bright yellow centers. On and on she went, and leaves began to grow too. Leaves and small red fruit. In front of Zoro's wide eyes, pomegranate fruit grew and ripened.

Opposite Luffy and Zoro and in that ribbon of space where she stood in the middle of the graves and the trees, Nausicaa stopped. She twirled once, her hands at her waist. She twirled a second time, her hands raised gracefully by her head. She twirled a third time, her hands spinning skillfully high above her head and as if a powerful wind blew through the clearing, the full flowers of the pomegranate tree fell off.

Spinning in the air, the bright beautiful flowers rained over the animals, the pirates, the clearing. Pressing her right hand over her heart and holding her left parallel to her body, Nausicaa kneeled on one knee and bowed her head towards Eryl and Sascha. Opening her eyes, the copper glow around her fading away, she let the flowers rain gently over her.

"Thank you," she whispered in true, heartfelt appreciation.

She remained in that position for a few more moments and then rose to her feet and turned around to face the edge of the forest. Sweeping her raised arm across her chest and gathering her dress in her other hand, she did a mix between a stage bow and an elegant curtsey.

"And farewell." she called out to the animals that had gathered.

A second of silence reigned in the clearing.

And then a blend of howls and chirps and yips and noise answered her.

_"Goodbye, Mistress!"_

_"Safe journey!"_

_"Be safe!"_

_"We love you!"_

_"Thank you!"_

_"Be happy!"_

_"Farewell!"_

Nausicaa smiled for the first time since her morning walk. Straightening up, she walked over to the pomegranate tree she had created, reached up, and gently took a bright red pomegranate. Holding it safe in her hand as the forest animals scattered, she roamed over to her new crewmates.

Luffy grinned at her, bright and cheerful as the sun. "That was so COOL!" he told her, eyes glinting. His excitement and awe washed over her like a tidal wave, but she basked in the warmth.

Zoro smirked. "Ready to go, slow-poke?" His amazement and appreciation wasn't as forceful as hi-their Captain's were, but they felt good too.

"Not yet." she told them. "Not yet."

**Sail**

Luffy bounced around the campsite enthusiastically. He was overjoyed. He had a dancer on his crew now, a really cool dancer too! That performance she had given earlier was AWESOME! They were going to leave soon, but Nausicaa had said she wanted to grab something before leaving, so they had come back here.

Zoro was sitting calmly on his log, eyes closed.

"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed, bounding over to his First Mate.

"What?" he asked grumpily, but Luffy wasn't deterred, no siree.

"What do you think Nausicaa's getting?" he wondered. She had stepped into her tent as soon as they got to the campsite and she hadn't come out yet.

"How would I know?" Zoro snapped.

"Hmm...would it be clothes? Knives? Oooh, or maybe dancer stuff!" Luffy rambled on, completely ignoring his swordsman's irritation.

"Oh, shuttup, Luffy!" he barked finally.

The Straw Hat Pirate pouted, but settled down on his log.

Only a few minutes later, Nausicaa stepped out of her tent, carrying a weirdly-shaped case. "I'm ready." she said to them.

"Oh, good!" Luffy jumped back on his feet.

He surveyed his crew. Zoro looked grumpy and irritated, but he got to his feet as well. Nausicaa looked tired and sad, but he was sure she would be alright again. She had him and Zoro after all.

Pirate Captain Luffy smiled widely. "Let's set sail!" he declared.

* * *

**So, they finally leave Nausicaa's little island! Review and tell me what you think! Thanks to my betas Pahreza and MugiwaraMarimo!**


	12. Nightmares

**One Piece does not belong to me!**

**leebee14: XD**

**RosyFire: Don't worry! Naasir is still with them! As if Nausicaa would leave her darling baby behind...**

* * *

**Wake Up**

The sunlight hit Zoro hard and he groaned, reluctantly opening his eyes. Staring into the bright blue sky, he wondered why he could feel a gentle rocking. Glancing around, he realized he was on the small boat again. Great. Who knows how long they would stay at sea this time?

Looking over at his companions, he couldn't help but crack out a small smile. Luffy was leaning against the side of the boat, snoring loudly, and Nausicaa's head was leaning on his neck. The Captain of their little crew had his right arm wrapped around his dancer's waist and Naasir was sleeping peacefully on her lap. The weird case thing that Nausicaa had bought along was lying at her feet.

Grinning, Zoro settled down to wait for his crewmates to wake up.

**Greeting**

As it turned out, Naasir would be the first one to wake up of the trio. Stirring, the cub got up on its hindlegs and started to lick at Nausicaa's face.

She woke up, gently pushing Naasir off her lap. The leopard cub landed on his feet easily and sat down. Sighing, Nausicaa sat up straight and managed to wake Luffy up.

"Eeeh? Morning already? Where's the meat?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Morning," Nausicaa said softly, completely ignoring the last part. Turning, she casually pressed a kiss to Luffy's cheek. The sleepy boy accepted it thoughtlessly. Across from them, Zoro's eyes popped.

Pushing herself onto her feet, the dancer walked over to Zoro, her steps so light she barely rocked the boat. Leaning down, she gently pressed a kiss to his cheek. His jaw dropped.

Not noticing the reaction, she scooped up her cub and settled herself down with him on her lap. The leopard rubbed his cheek across her own and she kissed him on the cheek too.

"O-oi!" Zoro finally got out. "What was that for?"

Both Luffy and Nausicaa looked at him in confusion. "What?!" They asked in unison.

Zoro rolled his eyes. "The kiss," He elaborated.

Immediately, he knew he had prodded the wrong topic. Shadows snaked across the copper-haired girl's face and her eyes darkened.

"Oh." She said blandly. "Sorry. It's habit."

The swordsman's brow furrowed. Habit? A flicker of memory drifted through his mind.

_"It's a greeting," she said now, apparently catching the swordsmen's confusion. "A greeting between Pack."_

Oh. _Oh._ Zoro grimaced as he realized what he had done. He had done exactly what he and Luffy had been trying not to do. He had reminded Nausicaa of Eryl and Sascha.

"Does it bother you?" She asked. "If it does, I can stop."

Zoro hesitated. The kissing bothered him, of course; he simply wasn't used to such intimate contact. But...if this made her feel better...

"It's fine," He said gruffly.

The First Mate considered it a victory when she smiled. It was small and weak, but it was the first time she had smiled after leaving her island.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed in the background.

**Bored**

Being three young people and a leopard cub stuck on a small boat, they became disinterested in staring at the sea very quickly.

"Zoro!" Luffy whined.

"What?!" The irritated swordsman demanded.

"I'm bored!

"Go bug Nausicaa!"

"Nausicaa!" Luffy immediately turned to the dancer gently stroking Naasir's back.

"Yes?" She questioned tolerantly.

"I'm bored!"

"Hmm, well then, why don't we play the question game?"

Luffy considered. "Alright!"

"Zoro?" The dancer asked.

"Fine." He grumbled.

**Question Game**

"Favorite color?" It was Nausicaa's turn.

"Red!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Green." Zoro grumbled.

"Hmm, copper, green, and brown." She decided.

The two boys turned to stare at her.

"You have a lot of favorite colors," Luffy noted.

She just shrugged and said, "It's your turn, Luffy."

"Okay!" He promptly forgot about the previous topic. "Most important item! Mine is my hat!" He put a hand on his Straw Hat and grinned, thinking about Shanks.

"Wado Ichimonji." Zoro decided easily, resting a hand on the white-hilted sword.

Nausicaa wavered, one hand coming up to rest on a small lump behind her brown shirt at the collar bone and her eyes darting to her case. "My mandolin." She determined.

Luffy blinked. "What's a mando? Is it something I can eat?"

Though he didn't say anything, Zoro was just as confused.

The only female member of their crew smiled softly. "Mando_lin_. It's an instrument, Luffy."

"Oh." Luffy turned to look at the strange case. "Is it in there?"

"Yes."

"Play it for us!" He demanded.

She winced slightly. "Maybe later, Luffy."

Before her Captain could go on, she turned to Zoro. "Your turn."

The green-haired man eyed her, but went along with it. "Age. I'm 19."

"17!" Luffy burst out, still curious about the 'mando-thingy' but willing to let it go for now.

"16."

Once again, both boys turned to stare at her.

"You're young." Zoro commented bluntly.

She gave him a glare. "I turn 17 in a month."

"Humph." was his only response, but secretly, he was glad the younger girl was starting to find her feet again. "Your turn."

And on it went.

**Touch**

"Oi, Luffy." Zoro muttered under his breath to his Captain.

"Hmm?" He questioned as he gently ran his fingers through his dancer's hair.

It was early morning and Zoro had woken up to find his Captain and Nausicaa sleeping on each other once more. Or to be more precise, Nausicaa was on Luffy's lap and she was sleeping with her head on his shoulder. Luffy had been leaning against the boat. Surprisingly, the rubber man had woken up before Nausicaa.

"Why do you keep on touching her?" The swordsman asked. It was something he had noticed over the past 2 days. When Nausicaa was melancholy or sad, Luffy would bound over, start talking, and casually touch her. It wasn't anything perverted. Luffy would sling his arm around her shoulders or play with her hair, as he was doing now.

"Eeh? You don't know?" Luffy managed to look extremely surprised though he didn't raise his voice or physically move his body.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Know what?"

"Nausicaa feels better when I touch her." Luffy said, looking as if the information should be obvious.

The Santoryuu user blinked. Now that Luffy mentioned it, he realized Nausicaa would relax and the shadows would disappear from her eyes when Luffy touched her. Skin to skin contact eased her. Was it because she had spent so much time with those animals back on her island?

Before he could say anything, Nausicaa stirred and their conversation was quickly shoved away. Zoro didn't forget though.

**Mandolin**

"Ne, Nausicaa!" Luffy said excitedly.

"What is it?" She replied patiently. The crew of pirates had paused from their question game and Luffy had predictably grown bored and restless while Nausicaa conversed silently with a curious bird.

"Your mand-thingy! Will you play it now?" He asked curiously.

She stiffened and her bird flew off. Zoro had been resting, but he opened one eye to look at her. He was curious about the thing too.

Nausicaa bit her lip, but nodded. Reaching over, she grabbed her case and unzipped the black plastic cover. To the boys' surprise, underneath was another case. This one was made of beautiful, polished mahogany. At the side were two clasps. She flipped them up and opened the case to reveal an instrument neither of them had seen before.

It was much smaller than a guitar, but looked similar. It's body was pear-shaped and there were 8 strings.

Nausicaa held it reverently. By now, both of Zoro's eyes were open, and both boys were leaning over to look at the instrument.

"This is a mandolin," She said simply. Nausicaa sat down, holding the mandolin in her lap.

"What do you want me to play, Captain?" She questioned teasingly,

Luffy's eyes went wide. "Eeeh? You can play the mando-thingy? You never told me you were a musician too!"

The coppper-haired girl laughed softly. "I'm not a musician, Luffy. I can play the mandolin and sing, but that's about it. I'm a dancer first and foremost."

"You can sing?" Zoro was dumbfounded.

"A little." She confirmed.

"Then play and sing for us." Luffy demanded.

"What do you want me to play?" She asked.

"Anything you want." He said.

Nausicaa smiled and was motionless for a few minutes, staring out at the sea and the sky. Then, she started to strum the mandolin.

_All that is near us, we must know.  
_

_It could disappear any day, be careful._

_The making and finding of happiness,_

_lies nowhere else but in my soul._

The Mistress of the Wild's voice rang out sweet and clear. Drawn to her voice, birds and fish gathered around the small boat.

Leaning comfortably against the boat, Zoro closed his eyes and listened contently to her wild song. For someone who claimed she could only sing 'a little', he thought absentmindedly, her voice was beautiful.

**Nightmare**

A few days later, Zoro woke up in the middle of the night to a light touch on his forearm. Opening his eyes, he found Nausicaa kneeling next to him, her hand on his arm.

"What are you..." His annoyed question trailed off when he caught sight of her face. Even in the dim moonlight, he could tell she was pale, far paler than she should have been. Her other arm was wrapped tightly around herself and darkness danced in her emerald eyes. She stared at him mutely, pleadingly.

Zoro floundered. This wasn't the first time Nausicaa had woken up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare; in fact, she did so every night since the incident. But this was the first time she had come to him for comfort. The past nights she had gone to Luffy. The panicking swordsman snuck a glance at his Captain to find him snoring on the floor, all his limbs splayed out. Nassir was snuggled up to the Captain, also sleeping deeply.

Damn it, he wasn't good at giving comfort. But, - he glanced back at Nausicaa's desperate eyes - he couldn't just leave her to suffer. Sighing, he swept out his arm and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her into his body. Touch made her feel better, right?

Nausicaa stiffened and Zoro wondered frantically if he had done something wrong. But then, she relaxed and he realized she had probably been startled by his actions.

"Sleep." he murmured.

She slept soundly and so did he.

**Clockwork**

And so it went, like clockwork. The four would play games during the day, and when it came time to sleep, they would spread out in a triangle formation, with Naasir sleeping with Nausicaa.

In the middle of the night, Nausicaa would wake up due to a nightmare and seek comfort from either Luffy or Zoro. She would end up sleeping on them and in the morning, she would greet them quietly with a kiss to the cheek. Neither boy would mention what happened last night and sometimes, she would play her mandolin and sing for them. It was subtle, but day by day, the boys could see the cracks in their dancer's heart healing. It was slow-going, but neither boy minded.

It went on, like clockwork, until one day on the high seas, their routine was broken.

* * *

**Review! We've finally gotten to meeting Nami! Wonder how that meeting's going to go...**

**Anyone know what song Nausicaa was singing?**

**Thanks to my betas Pahreza and MugiwaraMarimo!**


	13. Snatched

**One Piece does not belong to me!~~**

**We're finally starting the storyline!**

**leebee14: Thank you for reviewing! As for Sanji...we'll see! ;D**

* * *

**Hungry**

"Urgh... I'm so hungry..." Luffy complained, looking dejected.

"It's funny that you two have absolutely no navigational skills," Zoro commented.

"Not really," Nausicaa murmured. "I didn't exactly have to do a lot of sailing back in the forest."

Naasir yipped in agreement.

"Yeah! And I've always been wandering," Luffy stated, adding, "You're like me too, wandering and capturing hunted pirates for rewards."

"I don't remember saying that I live completely off the rewards!" Zoro protested, resting his cheek on his raised hand. "I was searching for a man, that's why I left to the sea. But now I can't find my way home..."

The World's Strongest Swordsman, Nausicaa thought to herself, her mind vividly remembering a pair of piercing gold eyes.

"I had no choice but to start hunting pirates for a living, just to get a little bit for the living expenses," he went on.

"Oh, so you're lost?" Luffy asked tactlessly.

"Shut up! You're the one that's lost!" Zoro screamed angrily.

Grumbling to himself, he said, "Geez, never heard of pirates who don't know how to navigate! How do you expect to go the Grand Line like this? You should hurry and find a crewmate that knows how to navigate!"

"And someone who knows how to cook..." Luffy murmured, counting on his fingers. "Nausicaa knows how to sing..."

"I want a musician!" She proclaimed. "And preferably a larger ship so I can dance..."

Excitably, Naasir jumped up and down on her lap.

"Idiots! What are you two going on about?" Zoro growled at them.

Falling on their backs, the two boys complained, "Soooo hungry..."

"Oh, don't complain!" Nausicaa snapped. More than a few times in her stay in the forest, she had long periods of time when she didn't have food, so she was used to the lack more than the boys. Didn't means she was happy about it. Plus, she had given more than a half of her portion of the food to Naasir. "I'm hungrier than both of you combined!

Luffy pouted at her while Zoro scoffed. "And how do you know that?"

Nausicaa stopped glaring at the sea to stare at Zoro. "Wait, I haven't told you?"

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Told us what?"

The dancer sighed and settled more comfortably on the boat. "I'm an empath," She said bluntly.

Luffy blinked and Zoro's brow furrowed. "What's that?" the Captain asked.

"It means I can feel the emotions of those around me," She explained patiently. "So, what that means is that I can feel your hunger" - she pointed at Luffy - "and your hunger" - she shifted her finger to point at Zoro - "and add that to the fact I'm hungry myself, means I'm feeling more hungry than both of you put together!

"Oh." Luffy frowned, picking his nose. "That doesn't sound so good."

Nausicaa groaned and leaned back on the side of the boat.

Zoro shrugged. She was part of the crew now, so he didn't really care if she could feel his emotions or not. Yes, it was slightly disturbing and made him feel a little vulnerable, but she was nakama and he trusted her to not use his emotions against him.

Absentmindedly, he stared at the sky. A few minutes of silence later, he spotted something against the pristine blue of the sky. "Oh! A bird!"

"Looks pretty tasty..." Luffy said longingly. Quite a lot of birds and fish had been attracted by Nausicaa and she had talked to them, but adamantly refused to let Luffy or Zoro eat them. Apparently, if they did, she would feel guilty about leading the prey to their deaths. Luffy had pouted and argued but given in reluctantly when she pointed out the delicious-looking animals were her friends and he couldn't eat her friends.

The trio and Naasir stared at the bird.

Suddenly, Luffy sat up. "Let's eat that bird! Okay, Nausicaa?"

She shrugged with disinterest; that bird wasn't one of her friends. "Sure."

"How are you going to eat it...?" Zoro asked from his position on his back.

"I'll go get it! Watch my specialty!" He strectched his hands up to grab mast. "Gomu Gomu no..."

Frowning, Nausicaa took another look at the bird and paled. "Hey, wait, I don't think that's a-"

"Rocket!" Luffy went off after the bird.

"-good idea." She finished weakly.

The occupants of the little boat stared after their Captain.

"Can't believe he thought of that..." Zoro said, raising a hand to shield his eyes.

"AHH!" Luffy screamed above them.

Nausicaa and Naasir stared while Zoro let out a "Huh?"

The bird had caught Luffy's head in his beak.

"Ahhh! Help!" He hollered as he was carried away.

"You idiot!" Zoro and Nausicaa yelled at him.

"What the heck are you doing?" Zoro demanded, grabbing the paddles and rowing insanely fast after his Captain. "Jeez!"

The leopard cub ran around in circles in a panic. Nausicaa just groaned and buried her face in her arms.

**Point**

"Hey...stop the boat!" A faint voice shouted ahead of the speeding boat.

"The boat over there, stop!" Another voice added.

"Huh?" Zoro grouched. "There are people in trouble here too?"

"Nausicaa?" He asked.

The younger girl hummed softly and leaned over the side of the boat, calling out, "We don't have time to stop. Climb on if you can!"

"You...What did you say?" They yelped.

Shrieking, the stragglers managed to grab on to the boat as it sped by.

"Nice!" Nausicaa compliemented, leaning languidly against the boat with Nassir in her lap.

"Heh! Your climbing skills aren't bad!" Zoro agreed.

"Were you guys trying to run us over?" The three screamed.

Panting and soaked, the over boarders tried to catch their breath. As they did, Nausicaa ran a critical eyes over them. Pirates, she discerned. The one in the middle wore a hat with a jolly roger and all three carried weapons.

"Whew...thank god!" One breathed.

"Why are these guys so reckless?" Another asked.

Suddenly, all three rolled to their feet and pulled out weapons.

"Hey! Stop the boat! This is the Pirate Buggy-sama's territory!" The middle guy declared, brandishing a katana threateningly.

"What?!" Zoro demanded, a dark look in his eyes.

"We said stop the boat!" The one on the left pulled out a short dagger and pointed it at Nausicaa, thinking the weak-looking girl was the scary guy's weak point.

However, unknowingly, by pointing it at Nausicaa, he was also pointing it at Naasir. And after the previous incidents, this did not make the dancer happy. At all.

"Where," She asked, an absolutely murderous look on her face. "do you think you're pointing that thing?!"

"U-umm," the fool stuttered, backing up a step.

Without waiting for a coherent answer, Nausicaa threw the cub at Zoro who caught him swiftly, and slammed her foot into the idiot's back. He fell face first, whimpering. Not missing a beat, she threw a punch at the right pirate's forehead. Dodging under the middle one's clumsy slash, she hit him right on the solar plexus.

Fully aware the one she had kicked was on his feet with a punch aimed at her, she was preparing to weave under it when Zoro punched him hard on the head. He went down again.

Scowling, Nausicaa grabbed two of the pirates by the shirt and threw them towards the oars. "Row!" She commanded.

**Navigator**

"Hohohohohoo," The one on the left went with a silly smile.

"We didn't know you were 'Pirate Hunter Zoro' and his pretty friend! We're really sorry..." The one in the middle said with the same silly smile, clasping his hands together.

"You three made us lose track of our friend!" Zoro told them, Nausicaa leaning against his chest and cuddling Naasir tight. "Put some back into it! If we don't find our friend, you three are in for it."

"Why were you three drifting around in the middle of the ocean in the first place?" The copper-haired girl spoke up, leaning slightly against the arm Zoro had thrown around her waist in an effort to calm her down. It had worked, somewhat.

"Yes yes yes! Good question, you finally asked!" The middle pirate exclaimed.

"That girl!" The one on the left commented.

"Yea, that bad girl!" The one in the middle chimed in.

"But she's real cute too!" The last guy clamored.

Quickly, the three explained what had happened to them. A girl had tricked them by pretending to be starved and weak. While they were in her small boat, she had snuck off onto theirs and sailed away while a storm turned over the boat the three pirates were on.

"She can predict the weather...this girl must be something special!" Zoro mused. "Wonder if she'd join us..."

"She could be our navigator." Nausicaa offered.

"Oh yeah?" Zoro looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "And how do you know she's a navigator?"

A smile tugged on her lips, her dark mood lifting. "Well, navigators are normally the ones who predict the weather, swordsman." She said teasingly.

He scoffed, but she saw the small smile. Snuggling into his chest, she murmured, "Wake me up, when we get to shore 'kay?

"Alright." He assured her, his arm tightening around her slightly before he relaxed

Closing her eyes, the dancer slept on the green-haired man. Fixing a wary eye on the pirates, he listened to them explain about Buggy and made sure none of them came close to the young woman in his lap. If she gave him her trust, he would honor it to the best of his ability.

**Search**

"Oi, Nausicaa!' The girl felt herself being shaken gently. "We're on land."

"Hmm?" Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at green. "Zoro?"

"Come on." Blinking, Nausicaa found herself lifted onto her feet.

Zoro frowned at her. "We need to find Luffy." He reminded her.

"Right." Shaking the sleep out of her head, she leaned down to pick up Naasir. The three pirates were nowhere to be found and she didn't ask where they had run off to. Looking around, she found herself in front of a small town that seemed strangely empty. Some of the houses were wrecked too, she noted.

"We should split up," She said to Zoro. "You go left and I go right?"

"Got it." With that, he began to walk off.

Tilting her head, Nausicaa took a step back and considered what was wrong with this picture. A second later, she got it.

"Okay," She said to Naasir, snickering. "Guess that means I go left and he goes right."

Still laughing, she went off to find her Captain.

* * *

**Review please? I'm somewhat disappointed. There are 35 favorites for this story, but I only get around one or two reviews for each chapter. Please, review? I'd love to hear what you all think!**

** And thnxs to my betas MugiwaraMarimo and Pahreza!**


	14. Nami

**One Piece does not belong to me!**

***gasp!* Look at all these reviews! If I knew a little complaining would do this, I would have done it long ago...**

**Morietachibana: Aww! Thank you for your kind words! And I'll do my best! Psst. I would review more often. It makes authors happy enough to update earlier!**

**leebee14: XD**

**RosyFire: Luffy is awesome. Hence, why he's the protagonist! Nausicaa will be fine. No worries!**

**Purple Dragon Ranger: They are kinda cuddly, huh? *hint, hint* I'll try!**

**Notice for 08/23/14:**

For those who read my stories, be warned that as school comes, I will not be able to update them as often! That is particularly true for Moon Mage and Sun Mage as I have to catch Wild Mage up.

Both Law and Kid are already in the Grand Line by this point, but Luffy isn't so the time line is all screwed up. Plus, Kid's further along than Law and we can't have that, can we?

Other than that, nothing else is amiss so enjoy!

* * *

**Nami**

"Where are they?" Nausicaa whined to Naasir.

_"I don't know, Mistress,"_ He whimpered weakly.

She let out a growl of annoyance. It had been some time since she had separated from Zoro and she hadn't found her Captain, yet. Naturally, she was getting annoyed. Nausicaa had found a pile of bodies that were knocked out. Their wounds had looked suspiciously like ones Luffy would inflict, but she hadn't actually found the rubberman.

She pouted and was about to complain some more when an explosion rang out to her right. Slowly, she turned her head to see it had come from the roof of a ruined pub in the distance.

"How much do you want to bet on Luffy not being there?" She smiled impishly and picked up Naasir. Holding him in one arm, she jumped up, grabbed the edge of a nearby roof, and swung herself over.

_"None, Mistress_," her cub yipped.

Laughing, she began to jump over the rooftops, her eyes searching for signs of her crewmates. A few minutes later, she picked up a faint sense of frustration and worry. It...felt childish, yet familiar. Luffy.

Quickly changing her course, she bounded over to where her Captain was. Halfway there, a wave of pain flooded over her, this one tinged with discipline and determination. Zoro. Losing her focus, Nausicaa came down hard on the next rooftop, almost twisting her ankle.

_"Mistress!"_ Naasir cried.

Steadying herself, she shushed him, whispering, "It's okay. I'm okay." Getting back on her feet, she continued towards her crewmates, worried now. Why was Zoro hurt?

Landing on the nearest building, she looked down onto the street and twitched. Zoro and Luffy were in the middle of the street. Luffy was in a cage. A cage! He was also lying down, limbs spread out. Zoro, thankfully enough, was not in a cage. However, he was lying on the ground in the same position as Luffy, blood flowing from a wound on his stomach. Dagger wound, she noted. A dog was standing guard between them. He was hurt, she saw with a frown.

About to jump down and demand what was going on, she stopped herself when she saw a pretty orange-haired girl come up to them. She radiated annoyance and fear, but underneath...Nausicaa tilted her head. Underneath, she felt a layer of desperation and loneliness that was far older than a few months.

"You two, what on Earth are you guys doing?" She asked, looking exasperated. "If you just lie around here in the middle of the street, Buggy will definitely find you."

Buggy? Hadn't those pirates earlier said that was their Captain or something? Interest piped, she jumped down, Nassir clinging to her shirt, and got the attention of Luffy and Zoro while scaring the orange head girl into jumping.

"Nausicaa!" Luffy called out happily, reaching for her between the bars of his cage.

Despite herself, she felt a smile pull at her lips. Letting Naasir down, she made her way to her Captain. "Hello, Luffy. How did you get in a cage?"

The rubberman pouted. "The stupid clown put me in here!"

"Oh?" She knelt by Zoro, frowning at his wound.

"Che. What have you been?" He asked gruffly.

"I couldn't find you guys." The wound was pretty deep. And it looked like he had been taken by surprise. Her frown deepened. This close to him, it was taking her every ounce of will to block off his pain enough to think.

"H-hey!" The pretty girl seemed to have recovered from her surprise. The stranger pointed at her. "Who are you?"

"Hmmm?" Getting up, Nausicaa smiled at the older girl. "I'm Nausicaa. And you are?"

Orangehead looked confused. By her manners maybe? She knew neither of her two crewmates had much manners. "I'm Nami." She finally said uncertainly.

"Nausicaa's our dancer! And Nami's going to be our navigator!" Luffy chimed in.

"Says who!?" Nami demanded, a drop of sweat rolling down her head.

"I just came to repay my debt..." Nausicaa ignored the rest of the conversation in favor of going over to the dog her cub was sniffing out.

_"Hello, little one" _She called out silently, smiling friendly.

The dog jerked in surprise, snapping his head around to look at her. _"You...you are...the Mistress?"_

_"I have been called that."_ The dancer sat down next to the dog. _"You are wounded."_

The dog lowered his head in shame. _"I know. I am sorry, Mistress."_

Nausicaa frowned, shook her head. _"It is not your fault. Who did this to you?"_

Dimly, in the background, she heard a quiet chink in the background. Throwing a glance back, she saw that Nami had thrown a key on the ground in front of Luffy. Good. If they were going to fight this Buggy person, her Captain needed to be free.

Quickly, the dog told her his story. His owner had been a kind man and had owned the pet shop the dog was currently guarding. One day, his owner had left and since then, he had been guarding his owner's beloved pet shop, protecting his master's treasure. When the townspeople had fled from Buggy, he had stayed and the pirates had been the ones to hurt him. Nausicaa listened, a bad feeling growing inside her.

Behind her, Nami demanded, "What is she doing?" as Luffy got out of his cage with a cheer.

"Ssshh!" Luffy put a finger to his lips. "She's talking to the dog!"

"What?" Nami looked at the copper-haired girl. She wasn't making a sound!

"Nausicaa can talk to animals," Zoro told her casually from his place on the ground.

Nami's eyes popped out of her head. "Just what are you people?!"

Nausicaa was aware of the conversation, but didn't pay attention to it. Leaning back as the dog finished his story, she frowned thoughtfully. _"I see."_

"Oi!" A new voice piped up. Surprised, everyone turned to see an old man in rather bad armor had shown up. He frowned at Nausicaa. "Don't do anything to Shushu!"

**Injury**

"Mayor," Nausicaa spoke up. "Do you have some bandages we could use? Zoro's injured."

The swordsman frowned at her. "Shut up. I don't need any bandages. I just have to sleep a little."

"A bed would be nice, too." She went on, completely ignoring Zoro.

"Of course, young lady." the Mayor told her kindly. He had warmed up to her immediately upon seeing the little white dog doting on her. "My house is right this way."

"Thank you," The copper-haired girl said, leaning down to gently pet Shushu's head. _"And thank you for telling my your tale."_

_"It was no trouble,"_ the dog nuzzled her hand. _"Stay safe, Mistress."_

_"And you."_ Walking over to Nami, she lifted her mandolin off her back and handed it to the confused girl. "This is very important to me, guard it for me please. I would give it to Luffy, but he would lose it."

"Ri-right." The thief stuttered. Nausicaa smiled.

Beckoning for Naasir to stay with Shushu, she grabbed Zoro's hand and tugged him into the house, graciously ignoring his protests.

"I told you, I don't need bandages!" The First Mate burst out, very annoyed.

Pushing the stubborn man onto the bed, she frowned sternly at him. "I don't care. If we don't bandage this up, you'll bleed to death. Do you want 'bled to death like an idiot' on your tombstone? No? Then let me get to work!"

Taking advantage of his speechless state, she rolled out the bandages and quickly wound them around his wound. Before he could snap out of it, she was done.

"There. See? That wasn't that bad." She said smugly, "Now go to sleep."

"Never knew you were this bossy," He muttered, nonetheless settling on the bed. It was because he was tired, he assured himself. It wasn't like he was following her orders, because he was glad to see she was recovering from her ordeal. Nothing like that.

"Yeah, yeah." Nausicaa went off to the small table on the right and sat down.

Within moments, they were both asleep.

**Awakening**

Both Nausicaa and Zoro woke up at the same exact same time. Nausicaa, her senses screaming that a lethal, large, projectile was coming towards them at a very, very high speed, instinctively jerked out of her seat and threw herself on the floor. Zoro, his instincts blaring that danger was going to hit them very, very soon, threw himself out of the bed and over Nausicaa, his body shielding hers.

A second later, the house they were in met a Buggy Cannonball and promptly collapsed all over them. Smoke and debris rained down on them and Nausicaa grimaced and buried her face in Zoro's shoulder.

When it finally ended, Zoro lifted himself up and looked worriedly down at the girl beneath him. "You alright?" He asked gruffly.

She coughed slightly, saying, "Fine. Thanks."

The swordsman grunted in response and got off her.

"Hey, Zoro, Nausicaa are you guys still alive?" came Luffy's voice.

_"Mistress!" _Nassir yowled.

"We're okay!" She called out, still coughing.

Dragging herself to a sitting position, her eyes caught a small blur in front of her. Smiling, she held out her hands and her cub jumped into them.

"I'm okay," the dancer assured him, who responded by licking her face.

"Zoro?" Luffy asked as the dust started to clear.

"Yeah.." He said, rubbing his palm against his forehand. "That was some bad way to wake me up."

"What a relief!" the rubberman grinned. "You're both alive!"

"...and just how it is that you two survived?" Nami asked even as Nausicaa walked up to her and took her mandolin from her hands with a quick "Thank you!"

The dancer shrugged.

**Fun**

"The chief...was crying...!" Nami said after the man had run off.

"Oh, really?" Luffy turned back to Zoro and Nausicaa. "I didn't see anything."

Nausicaa frowned, the man's grief and rage bearing on her though he was no longer here.

"For some reason, this is starting to feel more fun..." Zoro commented with a grin.

"Hehehehe, I agree." Luffy grinned back.

"How can you still laugh?" Nami demanded.

"Don't worry!" Luffy told her. "I like that old man! I'm not going to let him die!"

Nausicaa just smiled.

* * *

**Please, please review? I'd like to hear from all 45 of you all~**

**I don't mind criticism. I promise.**

**Oh and thnxs to my betas Pahreza and MugiwaraMarimo.**


	15. Tengu

**One Piece does not belong to me~ **

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**Idiot**

"All of you...What did you come back for? You three just stay out of this!" the Mayor demanded, struggling to his feet. "This is my war!"

On his feet, he grabbed his weapon, saying, "I'm the one who must protect this village! Don't interfere!"

Before he could react, Luffy grabbed his head and slammed his head in a wall.

"What?!" Nami gaped.

"Huh?" Buggy blinked.

Zoro watched and said nothing.

Nausicaa, mandolin strapped to her back, sighed and crossed her left arm over her chest. Resting her right elbow on her left hand, she touched the tips of her fingers to her temple.

Unconscious, the Mayor slid to the ground.

"You...! You idiot!" Nami screamed, recovering from her shock. "What the hell was that for?! Why did you do that to the Mayor...?"

"'Cause he would just get in the way!" Luffy declared with a large grin.

Buggy twitched.

"That was smart thinking..." Zoro commented. "If you had left him alone, without a doubt, he would've charged recklessly. It's safer for him to be unconscious."

"Yes.., but Luffy?" The Straw Hat Captain turned towards his dancer, eyes wide and innocent. She sighed again and frowned sternly at him. "Be gentler next time."

"Okay, Nausicaa!" He agreed easily.

"Don't do anything unnecessary!" Nami screeched at him.

"Hey you, huge, red, ugly...big nose!" Luffy hollered at Buggy.

Nausicaa groaned, muttering, "Idiot."

**Animal Abuse**

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?!" Nausicaa demanded, her green eyes flashing with anger.

Cabaji and Mohiji paused in their argument when they realized the girl was speaking to them. "What?!"

"You used that poor lion as a shield! How could you do that? Just because he can't speak in the human language doesn't mean he can't feel pain you know! He's your crewmate, too! This is animal abuse! Why this should be tolerated, I don't know..." She ranted on, Naasir bristling at her side.

The Buggy Pirates, Zoro, and Nami sweatdropped. _She's completely ignoring the two crewmates Buggy used as a shield..._

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed.

"Uhh..." Cabaji watched her reprimand him, his eyebrow twitching.

**Opponent**

"Not a common thief..." Zoro said even as he toppled towards the ground. "But a pirate!"

Before anything else could happen, a new voice rang out. "Buggy! What is this? Your crew couldn't even beat some little kids?"

In unison, Luffy and his crew turned to see a new guy step out. He was a tall, lanky man with dark hair and a crooked nose. His eyes were also bizarrely small. Wearing a dramatic red cloak and black clothes, he smirked arrogantly at them.

Buggy paled, waving his arms in front of him. "'Great Poet' Devin! This isn't what you think!"

"Oh? Looks like you're getting beat by a bunch of kids to me. Really, if you're this weak, our alliance is not going to survive." His small eyes scanned the group, but abruptly stopped when he saw Nausicaa.

He stared at her with interest. She stared at him blankly.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The summoner of the Legendary Phoenix and the Legendary Unicorn." He grinned wildly, throwing back his head. "This deserves a poem! Oh, today is my day of glory! This small girl hold the key! To endless power and-"

"Who are you?" Nausicaa cut in, voice bland.

He looked slightly depressed when she interrupted him, though immediately brightened when he realized what she had asked. "Yes! You should know who will make you suffer your defeat! Listen well! I am 'Great Poet' Devin! I have a 20 million bounty! I have journeyed the Grand Line, but have returned here to the East Blue to spread my brilliance. I am the Summoner of the Legendary Tengu and all must bow before me!"

Silence reined after his proclamation. Crickets could be heard in the background.

Until Nausicaa broke it. "So you're a coward who went to the Grand Line, but came running back to the East Blue, survive by talking big, and you're an idiot. I'm Nausicaa. Nice to meet you. Looks like today's my lucky day. I didn't expect to meet with a legendary summon this early. Excuse me for just a moment."

Predictably, both Luffy and the still awake Zoro burst out laughing. Nami, Buggy, and Devin's jaws dropped and they stared at her with shocked eyes. Walking over to Zoro, she lifted her mandolin off her back and placed it down beside him. "Guard this for me." She said to Naasir.

_"I won't let anything happen to it, Mistress." _The cub nodded solemnly and took up a guard position in front of it. Like Shushu, she mused absently, frowning slightly at the memory of that poor dog. It was a good thing Luffy had beat the perpetrator up or she would have done much worse.

"I'll be back later, Luffy," She told her Captain with a gentle smile.

"Okay!" He said cheerfully with his signature grin. "I'll be waiting!"

Nausicaa jumped up and onto a roof building. Looking back, she said to Devin, "Come on, coward. I'm your opponent."

"Why you..!" He wailed, face going red.

Smirking to herself, Nausicaa leaped away and he followed blindly.

**Tengu**

The Summoner of the Legendary Phoenix and the Legendary Unicorn stared at the faintly glowing black shield held by three black crows in front of her with gritted teeth.

"Lelelelele!" Devin laughed. "Surprised? This is the power of the Legendary Tengu! Nothing can get through this black shield!"

Nausicaa pressed her lips tightly together. The fight had been going in her favor before he called on the Tengu. She was much faster than he was and his athletic skill was not something to be admired. But then, he had begun to glow black and she had automatically jumped back. Black crows, far larger than normal, had appeared around him in a burst of black light. They had flown into a long rectangular shape in front of him and that black shield had formed in front of him.

Narrowing her eyes, she called a dagger to her hand and threw it at the shield as hard as she could. It didn't even make a dent.

He smirked at her condescendingly. "I told you, little girl. Nothing can break this shield. Nothing! Now just surrender the Phoenix and the Unicorn and maybe I'll have mercy on you!"

"Not a chance," She told him, trying to stall as her mind spun. Brute force obviously wouldn't work. Just how far could that shield extend...?

"Well..that's too ba-" Nausicaa cut him off by abruptly springing from her position. High in the air in the midst of a flip, she began to fire daggers at him. At his head, his neck, his back, his knees...

To her frustration, the black crows moved with her attacks and her daggers bounced off the black shield. Devin just laughed his annoying laugh. "It's no use!"

Pointedly ignoring him, she ran in close and aimed a kick straight at the black shield. It bounced off, feeling like rubber. Sorta ironic considering who her Captain was, she though as she dodged a slow punch. The shield moved with Devin's movements, almost like it was a coating over him. When he withdrew his arm though, it returned to its sheet-like form.

Nausicaa blocked out Devin's obnoxious laughter and _thought_. Her sensei always did say her mind was her best weapon. What were the flaws in Devin's shield? She couldn't break the shield, but...

He charged forward and threw a punch at her. She dodged it, but couldn't move out of the way of his kick. It hit her square in the chest and she grimaced as she was slammed into a wall. That hurt! Devin seemed to make up for his lack of speed in strength.

"Lelelele! This moment deserves a poem!" He declared, throwing off _waves_ of superiority and smugness. Nausicaa really wanted to wipe that disgusting smirk off his face. "In a moment of greatness, the magnificent Devin..."

His dance was powerful, she admitted grudgingly, the steps firm. But slow. Hmm...speed? Jumping up, but not as high as she was before, she summoned a knife and continued to throw them at his head. Predictably, his shield flew up to block her daggers.

"...obtained the mighty Phoenix and-"

Landing on the ground in a crouch, she spun around him in graceful fouette turns, striking at him with her foot on each turn.

"Meadowsweet Fouette!" She named. The multiple attacks hit him with deadly strength, the shield still high above his head unable to protect him. He howled, stumbling. Those would cause some nasty bruises later.

Unrelenting, Nausicaa quickly jumped forward, grabbed his arms, twisted, and deftly hooked her leg over his own.

"Rue Gancho!" She called out.

"Wha-" He barely had time to say before she pulled her hooked leg hard and tripped him. Swiping out with her knives while he was in mid-air, she scoured a bloody X on his chest. Devin screamed in pain. On the ground and with his shield still hovering over his head, she quickly slammed the back of a dagger straight into his face. He groaned and promptly passed out.

"Your poetry is horrible," Nausicaa told the unconscious man, panting.

**Triumph**

Panting, Nausicaa relaxed as the tengu and their shield disappeared. A large, black scroll appeared in front of her with a flash of white light. The kanji for tengu was written on white on it. Nausicaa closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. Opening her eyes. she touched her right hand to the scroll.

It flashed a brilliant white and melted away into four ribbons of black light. She watched with bated breath as the ribbons split away. Two spun around to hover over her wrist, right above her bracelets. The other two dropped to hover over her ankles.

For a second, they didn't move. And then they darted around her wrist and ankles and searing pain blinded her. When she could see again, she looked down. A chain of black crows circled her wrists and though she didn't look at her ankles, she knew they were there as well.

She was now the Summoner of the Legendary Tengu.

Nausicaa threw her head back and laughed in triumph.

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	16. Navigator

**One Piece is not mine. Sadly. It's okay though. I'll forgive Oda-sempai. Maybe.**

**Ahem. So anyway...**

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**Mind**

Nami jumped slightly when Nausicaa landed beside her, Devin carried over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The younger girl glanced at her, taking in the bag of treasure she was holding possessively and the wariness on her face. Nausicaa winked and lightly placed Devin on the floor.

Smiling confidently, she walked over to Zoro and Naasir, completely ignoring Luffy and Buggy. It wasn't her fight.

_"Mistress? Are you okay?" _Naasir asked, licking her face when she crouched next to him.

"I'm okay," She reassured him softly. Picking up her mandolin, she slung it over her back once more. "Thank you for guarding this for me."

_"You're welcome," _He yipped shyly. Giggling at the adorableness, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Nausicaa glanced at Zoro, then at herself and sighed. They were going to need more bandages. She glanced at Luffy and Buggy. Buggy had managed to pierce his hat and her Captain's fury and distress scratched against her. They would be occupied for some time.

"Stay here." She whispered to Naasir and ducked into a nearby house. Hope the owner didn't mind.

**Run Away**

"Why the hell did you make the situation more complicated?" Nami screamed, cuddling her treasure close.

"You know, Luffy, there is such a thing as too much honesty!" Nausicaa agreed as they ran away, Naasir in one arm and bandages in the other.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, carrying Zoro. "This is a good village." He told them.

"Wha...?" Nami questioned.

"For their Mayor, for just one person, they're all getting mad!" He explained with a happy grin. "No matter what excuse we give they'll still be mad at us!"

Nami was speechless.

Nausicaa smiled helplessly at her Captain. For all that he was an idiot, he was frighteningly perceptive sometimes. Still...

"This is a horrible way to leave." She said to him.

He just laughed.

**2 vs 1  
**

"Zoro, stay still!" Nausicaa snapped at him. Now that he was awake, his annoyance and pain aggravated her. Really, it was like hearing a high-pitched whistle being blown in her ear. Headache...

"Woman, stop it! I told you, I don't need those bandages!" Zoro grumbled, trying to stop the copper-haired girl from wrapping more around his wound. She had already treated herself.

"Namiii..." She looked to the orange head for help.

Said orange head sighed and said sternly, "She's right. You're going to be bleed out, if you don't get those bandages around you. Stop being stubborn and let Nausicaa do her job!"

"I'm not going to bleed out!" Zoro protested, but was promptly shut up when both girls glared at him. He subsided, grumbling under his breath about 'demonic women' and 'bossy girls'. Both girls ignored him.

"Done. That wasn't so painful, was it?" Nausicaa patted the bandages, a smug smile on her face.

Zoro glared and the two girls exchanged smirks.

**Crew**

"So, are you in our crew now?" Nausicaa asked Nami curiously once they were back on their respective ships.

"Yup! She's our navigator!" Luffy said cheerfully before Nami could get a word in.

"You idiot!" Nami screamed from her much bigger and higher ship. "I told you, we're only partners. I'm not a part of your crew."

"...Luffy?" Nausicaa asked.

"She's in our crew." He confirmed.

"Okay." To Nami's surprise, the other girl proceeded to launch herself in the air. Doing a perfect flip in midair, she landed on the larger ship's balustrade with ease. Bounding over to the frozen girl, she pressed a kiss to her cheek and sprung back onto the smaller boat, leaving Nami with her jaw open and eyes popping out.

Luffy laughed like a maniac and Zoro just about tore his wound open again laughing. Nausicaa was smiling calmly when she landed lightly on the boat, as if she had no idea why the boys were laughing. Barely making it rock, she settled down near Naasir and picked up the cub.

"W-wh-what was that for?!" Nami finally got out, going scarlet.

"Hmm?" Nausicaa looked up innocently, though Zoro caught a flicker of laughter in her eyes.

"What was the..kissing for?!" The navigator demanded, still blushing.

"I would get used to it if I were you." Zoro advised, grinning broadly. Watching someone else's reaction to Nausicaa's habit was damn amusing!

"What do you mean?" Nami turned to the swordsman, glad someone was giving her some answers at least.

"Relax, Nami." Nausicaa spoke up at least. "It's just a greeting for nakama."

"Greeting for nakama?" She repeated. "So..wait." The orange head turned to Luffy and Zoro. "You two do it too?!"

Of course, this sent both of them into fits of laughter again.

"No, no." The dancer soothed, ignoring the boys. "Only me and in the mornings, when I wake up."

Nami sat down, trying to process this. She had never met any pirate crews that did _this_!

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it eventually." Zoro said after he got himself under control.

Nami groaned. That wasn't reassuring.

**Run**

"Luffy. Zoro." Nausicaa whispered to her Captain when she was certain Nami was asleep.

"Yeah?" The rubber man looked at her with curious eyes, unconsciously mimicking her soft tone. Zoro opened one eye to focus on her. Naasir was asleep on her lap.

"I don't think we should tell Nami about my empathic powers."

Luffy blinked and tilted his head, evidently trying to remember what 'empathic' meant.

"My ability to sense other people's emotions." She clarified.

"Oh!" Luffy frowned. "Why? She's a part of the crew now."

Nausicaa hesitated, not sure how to word this. "I...don't she's ready for it." She said finally.

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked. Their confusion swirled around her. Zoro was wary.

"I think if she knows I can sense her emotions, she'll run away."

Luffy's brow furrowed. "Really? She can't run away! She's our navigator!"

"Exactly." The copper-haired girl nodded. "So, I think we shouldn't mention it for now. When she's ready for it, I'll tell her, okay?"

"Fine." Zoro grunted, going straight back to sleep.

Luffy was still frowning though, and she could his unhappiness with her proposal. But, he said, "Okay. But we tell her as soon as she's ready."

"Okay." She smiled encouragingly at him and he smiled back.

Nausicaa kept her thought to herself. _I don't think she'll ever be ready..._

**Comfort**

Two days later, Nami bolted awake, gasping. Quickly, she looked around. Where was she?

Oh. Right. Buggy's ship. She was traveling around with those three idiots. Taking in a big gulp of air, she focused on calming herself down. She had had another nightmare. About Arlong and her mother. She hated those memories.

A sound to her right startled her. Years of danger and running came to her aid. Closing her eyes and acting like she was still asleep, she mumbled and turned on her side. Her right hand steadily inched towards her staff.

"Nami?" A soft, feminine whisper broke the night silence.

She frowned inwardly even as she faked waking up. So, they hadn't been planning to ambush her. But there was only another girl besides than her. And why would Nausicaa wake her up in the middle of the night? She woke up sometimes, but she went to Luffy or Zoro...

Her thoughts trailed off when she caught sight of the younger girl. Nausicaa was kneeling in front of her. She was shaking. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself and for some reason, that rang bells in Nami's head. What really caught Nami's attention, though, were her eyes. The younger girl's emerald green eyes were wide with fear and they darted around uncertainly.

Nami had seen those eyes before. All too often in the mirror when she was younger. And sometimes, even now.

"What is it?" She asked, a rare gentleness in her voice.

The dancer stared up at her. "H-he was touching me, Nami."

Nami frowned. "What?"

Nausicaa began to shake more violently. "He was touching me, Nami. And I didn't like it. I didn't want it. I told him to stop, but he didn't! And he had Naasir, why would he do that? I didn't want him touching me, Nami. He wouldn't stop..."

The brown-eyed girl felt a chill go down her spine as she realized what her new crewmate was telling her. Oh, god, she thought in horror. No one had ever raped Nami. Some had gotten close, too close, but she had always managed to escape before they could. That didn't mean she didn't know the horror and helplessness of the victims. In fact, she knew it all too well. Acting on some long forgotten protective instinct, she reached out and pulled the other girl close. Nausicaa went willingly, starting to sob.

Nami stroked her long copper-hair soothingly. She didn't want to ask, but she had to. "Nausicaa?"

"Yes?" Her voice was wobbly.

"Did-did he get the chance to go all the way?" Nami's voice almost broke.

The navigator felt Nausicaa stiffen in her arms, but she answered, "No. Luffy stopped him before he could."

Oh. Nami's respect for the idiot jumped up 5 notches. Saying nothing more, she held the younger girl close and continued stroking her hair. She found herself humming a lullaby Bell-mère had used to sing to her.

An indeterminable amount of time later, Nausicaa was sleeping in her arms, the distress on her face disappearing. It would reappear, Nami knew. That level of trauma couldn't be healed in a day or two. Sighing, Nami settled down. She knew she should let go of Nausicaa, but found herself hesitant. Her own nightmare flashed in her mind.

One time, she told herself. Just this once. It couldn't hurt.

About to close her eyes, she absentmindedly flicked a glance at the boat drifting alongside Buggy's ship and froze. Two eyes glinted in the darkness. Zoro stared back at her, a hardness to his features she hadn't seen before. When had he woken up? A few seconds later, he grunted and closed his eyes. Shifting a little, he was snoring again in seconds.

Breathing an involuntary sigh of relief - and when had she had been holding her breath? - Nami closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. God, Zoro could be scary. He hadn't actually done anything, but she had no doubt that had she done anything to hurt Nausicaa, she'd be very sorry.

But...then again. Nami glanced down at the teenage girl in her arms. From the looks of it, he had every reason to be so protective over the dancer.

**Morning After**

The next morning, Nami woke up to a sweet, thankful smile from Nausicaa. The younger girl hadn't said anything, but pressed a kiss to her cheek. Nami accepted it without comment.

Agilely jumping off the ship, she had landed on the boat and things had been back to normal. Except, Nami now knew why Luffy looked worried for a brief second when he woke up and saw Nausicaa. She knew Zoro cast a critical eye over her as soon as he opened his eyes. She knew the unspoken secret between the three. And another bond formed between her and the idiot pirates.

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**Review! Please review! And vote!  
**


	17. Mutations

**One Piece is not owned by mwah! And here we go! School is such a jerk...And vote in the poll!**

**leebee14: I agree! Zoro's adorable. Sorta like a really gruff dog that you know will never actually bite you...?**

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**Isolated Island**

"We've reached the isolated island!' Luffy declared. "There's nothing here but forest!"

"No, there are some animals here, too..." Nausicaa corrected, lightly stepping on to the island.

"Like I said, this is an unpopulated island!" Nami said, exasperated. "It would be weird if you found someone for the crew here!"

Not paying any attention to her, Luffy looked back at the ships. "Hey, Zoro! Come here!"

"Zzz...Zzz..." The swordsman continued to snore. Nausicaa giggled.

"Hey, you're sleeping!" Luffy began to trudge back to wake him up when Nami caught his shirt.

"Let him sleep. He's still injured." She told him.

"You're right! Well, let's go!" Turning right around, Luffy walked off in the direction of the forest.

Shaking her head at her Captain's antics, Nausicaa beckoned to Naasir. _"Come. The forest awaits us!"_ She knew he had been becoming restless on the sea.

He yipped in excitement, tail wagging. _"Yes, Mistress."_

Smiling, she waited patiently for him to scramble out of the boat. Then, they headed out into the forest.

**Forest**

_"It's good to be back in a forest," _Nausicaa commented to Naasir, performing a cartwheel followed with a forward roll. It was nice to stretch her muscles after being at sea for so long.

_"Yes! It's so much more fun!" _Naasir ran around wildly, pawing at piles of leaves and nosing around shrubbery.

Grinning fondly at him, she transitioned to walking on her hands. It was strange though, she thought to herself, she hadn't seen any animals since arriving. Most of the time, animals flocked straight to her.

Lost in her thoughts, Nausicaa couldn't help but gasp when she refocused on the outside world and found herself being examined by a pig with a...mane?

She stared at him. He stared at her.

_"Hello."_ the pig-lion thingy oinked.

Nausicaa calmly flipped backwards onto her feet, spun around, and sat down in front of the animal. _"Hello," _She replied. _"Do you live on this island?"_

_"I do," _the pig-lion sat down. _"You are the Mistress?"_

She smiled at him. _"I am."_

**Box-Man**

Nausicaa walked quietly back to the ships, her cub scampering around. Talking with the pig-lion had been very educational. He had introduced himself as Henry and informed them he had been like this all his life. He had also introduced Sara, the snake-rabbit, and Kiwi, the bear-leopard. It had been quite an interesting conversation. Henry had mentioned a guardian too, a human guardian that protected them from bad people. She wondered who it was...

"OI! NAUSICAA!" A familiar voice called out. Blinking, Nausicaa snapped out of her trance to see Luffy bounding towards her with Nami following at a more sedate pace.

"Hey, guys!" She replied, her mood instantly lifting as her Captain's joy and excitement surrounded her.

"Guess what?" Luffy asked as soon as he was near, all but vibrating in excitement. "We met a box-man!"

Nausicaa looked at him. "Box-man?" She repeated.

"Yeah! A box-man! I was going to get him to join our crew, but he said he had to stay here." Luffy pouted.

"He wanted to guard the animals, Luffy." Nami, who had finally reached them, wacked him over the head.

"Is that so?" Nausicaa questioned, very much amused. He was probably the guardian that Henry had talked about then.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically. The copper-haired girl laughed. "Alright, then. Are we going to leave now?"

He grinned. "You're right! To the ships!"

Running towards the ships, he missed the girls exchanging an exasperated look. Picking up Naasir, Nausicaa went off to see if Zoro was still sleeping. He probably was, the lazy guy.

**First Impressions**

"Nausicaa?" Luffy asked, curiously eyeing his dancer. "What are you doing?"

Said girl was sitting in Indian style near the end of the boat, hands on her thighs. She smiled patiently at Luffy. "I'm going to have a talk with the tengus."

He perked up excitedly. "Oh! That's right! You got the crow-thingys from the poet guys, right?"

She sweatdropped slightly. "Tengus, Luffy. And yes. He was surprisingly weak for a summoner."

"Zzzz.." Zoro snored from where he was leaning against the boat, arms crossed.

Nausicaa wasn't sure what Nami was doing on Buggy's ship, but she had the feeling the thief was counting her treasure.

"Cool! Shishishishi!" Luffy grinned at her, approval in his eyes. "So you're going to go talk with the mystery-crows?"

She sighed, giving up. "Yes, I'm going to talk to the mystery-crows so you can't bother me okay?"

"Okay!" He agreed thoughtlessly.

Nausicaa looked at her Captain and promptly turned to Naasir. _"If he disturbs me, you may bite him."_

_"Yes, Mistress!"_ Her cub lit up. He had been craving some action on the little boat.

Shaking her head, the dancer closed her eyes and began to meditate.

An indeterminable amount of time later, she opened them and found herself in a very familiar forest. The forest of her mindscape.

Her mindscape was beautiful, full of plants and creatures as befitted the Mistress of the Wild. As she started to walk deeper into her forest, a breeze rustled her hair and an unconscious smile touched her face. Vibrant flowers and enormous trees welcomed her, the birds chirping enthusiastically. A family of deer dipped their heads towards her and squirrels ran mischievously around her. It was peaceful, so very peaceful.

Some time later, she came to a clearing. In front of her was a large cliff-face. Three doors were offered to her. One was bright red and had an image of a majestic phoenix on it. Another was pure white with a beautiful unicorn mid-gallop. Nausicaa was familiar with both.

The third was new. Dark grey, it depicted 5 black crows flying in formation. She walked up to it and pushed them open without hesitation-

And found herself standing on a cloud. Inhaling sharply, she quickly took stock of her surroundings. Bundles of clouds floated alongside her own on a pure blue sky...and five large crows were staring at her, occasionally flapping their wings to stay in place.

Nausicaa took a deep breath, nervous despite herself. _"Hello."_ She called out with a friendly smile.

There was a moment of silence and then..._"Hello, Mistress." _One crow-tengu cawed in a surprisingly deep male voice, flying over to hover in place in front of her. His coal black eyes glittered with intelligence, his feathers a unique shade of blue-black.

The summoner directed her attention to the tengu. _"What's your name?"_

Clearly startled, the tengu stopped flapping for a few moments. It dropped 2 feet before it recovered. A low burst of chatter bloomed between the other crow-tengus. Worried and uncertain as to whether she'd done something wrong, Nausicaa hurriedly retracted the hand she had automatically snapped out when the crow-tengu had begun to fall.

_"I'm sorry. Is something wrong?" _She questioned, biting her lip nervously.

What seemed like the leader of the tengu gazed at her intensely. _"No, Mistress."_

_"Then...why?"_

_"It has been many centuries since a summoner has asked for a name."_ The tengu revealed, a trace of wariness in its voice.

Nausicaa's eyes widened and then she pressed her lips tightly together in anger. How dare they...!

_"Tell me your name!" _She demanded immediately.

The tengu visibly hesitated. _"It is not necessary, Mistress."_

Her emerald eyes flashed furiously. _"Of course it's necessary!"_

_"Our previous summoners did not need to know our names-"_ He tried again.

_"I am not like those people." _She declared, staring the tengu straight in the eye. _"I would not go to battle with a stranger; this is no different. It's ridiculous to ask for you all to shield me if I don't even known your **names**!" _

A heartbeat of silence in which the legendary tengu and the summoner attempted to stare each other down. Finally, the legendary tengu closed its eyes and bowed his mighty head. Looking back up at the unyielding mistress with new respect, he formally stated, _"I am Rajmund, Oldest of the Crow Tengus. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress."_

She smiled.

When Nausicaa opened her eyes in the outside world again, 5 hours after she had first closed them, to be bombarded by questions and concern and excitement, she knew four other names.

Tarak, a crow with a splash of violet on his right wing. He was gruff and strict, but he wasn't mean. He was to be her combat instructor and she looked forward to the lessons.

Chionesu, the quiet one. With feathers of surprising grey-white filaments, he possessed a steady strength that was comforting, soothing.

Kamali, a kind, patient tengu with feathers of pure black. He had assured her he would be happy to counselor her through her journeys.

Sarkis, the youngest of the tengus. He was the curious one; she had lost count of the many questions he had asked her when he had realized how friendly she was.

In that strange world that existed between his homeland and the mortal realm, Rajmund absentmindedly listened to the scolding Tarak was giving to Sarkis. Kamali was trying to calm his agitated friend and Chionesu glided on a warm breeze, completely ignoring the bickering.

The oldest of the tengu looked up to the pure blue sky and felt hope for the first time in centuries. _Maybe the Phoenix and the Unicorn were correct in saying this one was different, after all..._

**Flashback**

"Oi, woman, are you going to laze on me all day?" Zoro snapped in apparent irritation.

Nausicaa, who was indeed 'lazing' on him, just smirked at him. She was well aware Zoro didn't really mind her using him as a pillow. His contentment and laziness was almost as comfortable as actually laying on him was. He was pretending to be annoyed to keep up his 'manly' image and they both knew it.

Zoro scoffed at her knowing look and she snickered.

Nami rolled her eyes at the two. "We need to plan things more!" She told them, one thumb on her chin.

"What do you mean?' Luffy asked from his special seat.

"Are we going to the Grand Line like **this**?" Nami frowned at him.

"Oh, that's right! Although Uncle Cabbage gave us plenty of fruits, we don't have any meat on this ship!" was Luffy's intelligent response.

"I am not talking about the food supplies!" The navigator snarled.

"And we don't have any sake to drink either! How boring!" Zoro chimed in.

"Let's not worry about the problem of food and drink first!" Nami sweatdropped, an irk mark appearing on her head.

Nausicaa smiled placatingly. "I think Nami means a bigger ship and more crewmates, guys."

"Yes! Finally someone with some sense!" The older girl breathe a sigh of relief.

"The place we're going, the 'Grand Line' is the most dangerous place in the world!" She said. "Every pirate in this world wishes to get the treasure there, so we need to get a better ship first! We're also short on crew members and this ship doesn't have any equipment. No matter what you think, we can't possibly be safe!"

"Oh! What do we do then?" Luffy looked at his navigator like she had the answers to all his problems.

Nami placed a map on the floor of her ship and stared at it. "We have to prepare first, and plan for the journeys ahead. There's a village due north. We should go there first! First thing to do when we get there is look for a better ship!"

"And eat some meat!" Luffy cheered.

"Idiot!" She punched him on the head. "And you!" Nami spun around to point a finger at the dancer.

Said girl blinked up at her. "Yes, Nami?"

"You need new clothes!" She frowned at Nausicaa's ragged clothing.

The green-eyed girl looked down at her brown shirt and pants. She didn't really care, but they were starting to fray... "Okay."

"Tch, where did you get those anyway? The quality is so poor!" Nami scorned, having no idea of the painful buttons she was pushing.

Nausicaa stiffened, her face going blank.

_"Here you go, darling!" Yanagi said with a smile as she gave the young girl her handmade shirt._

Her eyes became vacant, the sea and the ships and her nakama gone in a spray of blood.

_Eryl was falling, a bullet lodged in his head, his blood raining over the green grass._

Her fingers dug into Zoro's side without her permission.

_"Take care of Naasir..." Sascha whispered, the light fading from her eyes._

The languid, relaxing atmosphere disappeared around her. Worry and a lingering sense of anger pulsed in the air. Dimly, she could feel concern and guilt, but that only added to the weight crushing her. It shoved against her, crushing her, and oh god, she couldn't breathe, was that blood in the air?, couldn't get out-

"Nausicaa." Luffy said firmly. His brightness was a rope in the open sea, a light in the darkness, and she grasped onto it hurriedly. Luffy was worried too - how could he not be, she thought to herself a little hysterically - but he was determined and full of resolve, and he was like a breath of fresh air. She snapped back into the real world to see him crouching beside her, arms open.

She blinked at him for one second, confused, but understood in the next. Smiling weakly, Nausicaa opened her own arms in invitation. Lighting up, he dove into her embrace and somehow, the three of them became a jumble of limbs and comfort and relief. The swordsman didn't complain this time.

One arm of Zoro's around her waist, Nausicaa buried her face into Luffy's shoulder. Her Captain petted her hair in that way he liked. A whine caught the rubber man's attention and he turned his head to see Naasir all but pouting at them, tail wagging. Luffy grinned at the cub and he jumped into the pile, nuzzling up to his Mistress.

"Idiots," Nami muttered but there was no denying the note of relief in her voice.

**Ussop**

"Wow, there's really an island here!" Luffy exclaimed as they hit land.

"What did you expect?" Nami held out the map. "We followed the map so it won't be wrong!"

"Oh.."

"We don't normally follow maps, Nami." Nausicaa told her, an amused smile on her face.

"Is there a village here?" Luffy pointed curiously.

"Uh huh! Looks like there's a small village!" Nami smiled at her map.

"Been a long time since I last stood on firm ground..." Zoro grunted as he stretched.

"That's because you were sleeping all the time!" Luffy said, putting a hand on his hat.

Nausicaa, her mandolin strapped to her back, gently stroked the leopard cub in her arms.

"By the way, I just noticed a moment ago..." Zoro said, suddenly pointing at the small group hiding on the cliff. "What are those guys doing there?"

A wave of panic and shock and fear blasted Nausicaa and she scowled.

"Hey! You...don't run away!" A guy screamed as three little kids ran away yelling, "Waaa..! We've been found!"

The small crew stared.

The curly-haired teenager radiated fear, but determination and self-preservation flared too.

"I am the Great Pirate Fleet Leader Usopp, who is in charge of the security of this village! I am also known as "Captain" 'Captain Usopp!" He declared, standing with his arms folded across his chest.

"It's best if you don't try to attack this village." He informed them. "Because my 80 million men are not going to forgive you!"

"You're lying right?" Nami and Nausicaa said in unison.

"Waa! I've been caught!" He panicked, clutching his head.

"See, you even said it yourself!" Nami sweatdropped.

"Arghh! Did I just say that?" Usopp jerked around, throwing out fear and dismay. "Bad planning! Bad planning indeed!"

Nausicaa placed a hand over her mouth to smother her laughter, the other still holding Naasir who was chaffing at the silly human.

Luffy didn't bother. "Shishishishi! You're so funny!"

"Hey, don't underestimate me!" Usopp announced, evidently annoyed. "I am a man with high self-esteem! And everyone calls me the 'Honorable Usopp'!"

"You're lying!" Nami said immediately.

"Aaah!"

Nausicaa couldn't take it anymore. She broke down laughing.

* * *

**We meet Usopp! Review! Please Review! By all that is holy, type it in!**

**Anyhow...things are going speedily aren't they? But school's breaking my heart. And my spirit. Who was the horrible guy who decided to invent AP NSL? So much notes!**

**Oh and remember to vote in the polll~**

**Until next time, amigos!**

**P.S. Thanks to my betas!**


	18. Clothes

**Me: One Piece does not belong to meee**

**Luffy: Well, obviously.**

**Me:...**

**Nausicaa: Ignore them all. Remember to review and vote for me in the poll~**

***le gasp* So many reviews! I love you guys!**

**leebee14: Usopp is hilarious. He's like the comic relief for practically the whole first part of One Piece.**

**WolfetteKurenai: Thank you! I'll do my best!**

**YaoiYuriLove: Why, thanks! They are all nakama after all!**

**dragoness: XD**

**Guest: Hope you enjoy!**

**sseeaa2: I'll try my hardest! Thanks for the support!**

**Guest (Sam): Thank you! I hope I don't disappoint! **

* * *

**Captain**

"What? Looking for companions?" Usopp repeated in a small tavern in the village. "So you're looking for companions and a big ship?"

"Yup!" Luffy happily dug into his meat.

"Oh! Sounds like a big adventure!" The long-nosed boy exclaimed. "There's only one place where you can find the stuff you want in this village..."

"Although it's not a very big ship, but it's not that small either." He continued.

"Where?" Nami asked.

"There's a mansion not far from the village that belongs to a wealthy family. The ship belongs to the mansion's owner." Usopp explained, gesturing with his hands. "Although we say that she is the owner, she is a pitiful young girl...a weak and sick girl that always lies on her bed..."

"Eh? Then how come she's the owner of the mansion?" Nami questioned, throwing off confusion and frustration.

"Obasan! Another plate of meat!" Luffy demanded, raising a hand with his cheeks bulging.

"I want some more sake..." Zoro said.

"More noodles, please. Oh and more meat for Naasir." Nausicaa requested politely. She had her mandolin on the seat next to her. On the floor, her cub barked in agreement.

"Are you listening to me?!" Usopp roared, eyes bulging and teeth turning mysteriously shark-like. His flash fire anger crashed around in a tide that promptly receded as it came.

"Sorry, sorry..." The dancer muttered sheepishly. Luffy and Zoro ignored him.

"I think it happened around a year ago...that girl's parents died of sickness, leaving her a large inheritance, a mansion, and over ten servants." Usopp placed his hands behind his head and leaned back. "Even if you are really rich, it doesn't exempt you from sorrow."

"..." Nami sighed and placed her hand on the table, catching her crewmates attention. Nausicaa glanced over, sensing sadness and painful sympathy. "Nevermind...let's forget about searching for a ship in this village. We'll go and search somewhere else."

The dancer carefully hid her smile. She had always known Nami had a good heart beneath her greediness and bossiness.

"Okay!" Luffy agreed with a big smile. "But we're not in a hurry anyways, I still want some more meat! Let's buy some more meat for our supply."

"Oh yeah, you.." Usopp spoke up. "...said earlier that you're looking for companions?"

"Is there somebody who wants to be our companion?" Luffy asked.

"Let me be the Captain, and I'll join you!" Usopp declared with a large smile - a sparkle mysteriously appearing next to it- and a thumbs-up.

"Nevermind!" They replied in unison, hanging their head. Naasir yipped, throwing his head in contempt.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Usopp's eyes popped out, his jaw dropping outrageously.

**Usopp Pirates**

A few minutes after Usopp left - and Nausicaa had her suspicions as to whom he was going to visit - the door slammed open and three young boys stomped in.

"Usopp Pirate Group is here!" They declared with a surprising amount of coordination.

"What...?" Nami wondered, looking at them over her shoulder.

"I don't know.." Luffy replied. "Who are they?"

"Hey, Captain isn't here..." One small boy said nervously.

"It can't be that...he's been eaten up...!" Another boy finished, eyes wide.

"H-hey pirates!" The first boy waved a toy sword above his head.

"What did you do to our Captain Usopp?!" The other two followed his example.

"Yum yum!" Luffy put down his cup, oblivious to the situation. "What a delicious meat!"

The three kids gasped. "Huh...meat?!"

"He..he ate the Captain...?!"

Nami smiled, finding it all amusing.

Gently petting the leopard cub who was in her lap, Nausicaa flicked her eyes over to where Zoro was radiating a fishy amount of mischief.

"Your Captain..." He started slowly, resting his head on his hand.

"Wh..what?! What did you do..?!" They cried.

"We just...ate him!" Zoro announced with an evil smirk.

"Gggyyaaa! Onibaba! Aaaa...!" The kids screamed, staring straight at Nami, positively flooding Nausicaa with fear and concern.

"Why are you looking at me?!" The navigator demanded, not in the least amused now. She bared shark teeth at them.

The three boys fainted dead away.

"Why did you tell them those weird things? And stop laughing!" Nami screeched at Zoro, directing the last part to Nausicaa, who found the whole thing hilarious.

Zoro and Nausicaa laughed merrily. On her lap, Naasir chuffed, intelligent enough to understand the humor in the situation.

Nami huffed and crossed her arms.

**Ship**

"Wow! He's a great guy!" Luffy decided after the kids had told them of Usopp's visit to the sick girl, Kaya.

"So, to restore her spirits," Nami affirmed. "He's been going for a year to amuse her with made up tales?"

"Yup." One kid said.

"I like his 'nosiness'." Another stated.

"I like the Captain's 'cowardice'."

"I like his 'lies'." The others chimed in.

"What kind of strong points are those?" Zoro asked, sweatdropping.

"I'm not sure those are good traits to look up to..." Nausicaa agreed.

"So the lady is feeling better already?" Luffy pointed to a kid.

"Yeah! And it's all thanks to the Captain!" He said happily.

"All right!" Luffy pumped up a fist. "Then we shall go to the mansion and ask for a ship!"

"No! Didn't you just say you'd give it up?!" Nami objected.

Nausicaa sighed in resignation. Didn't Nami learn? Once Luffy decided something, he wouldn't change his mind.

**Shop**

On their way to the mansion, Nausicaa's eye was caught by a small store. It was small, but it looked cozy and had a sign that said: Carrie's Boutique.

Well, she thought to herself, I do need new clothes. Nami, Luffy, and the kids were in front of her, she and Zoro having dropped behind. It wouldn't take that long anyways...

"I'm going to stop by that store and get some new clothes, kay?" She muttered to Zoro.

"Okay." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't take too long."

She smiled. "Course not." Cutting off from the group with Naasir, she walked into the boutique.

It was small, but the walls were painted a deep brown and she immediately felt at ease. A small bell had rang as she pushed the door, so she wasn't surprised when an old woman walked up to her. Nausicaa was reminded uncomfortably of Yanagi, the only one in the village that had cared for her.

The old woman who was probably Carrie smiled warmly at her. "Hello dear. Anything I can help you with?"

She shifted her feet. "Uhh...yes. I'd like some new clothes."

"Well, I'm not surprised!" Carrie walked around in a circle around her, giving off a strong sense of disapproval. "Look at these clothes! Come on, darling. We'll get you fitted up."

Before she could blink, she found a mound of clothes being shoved into her arms and herself being pushed into a changing room. To her shock, all of them were exactly the right size. Shrugging, she began to try them on, taking off her mandolin and placing it on a nearby bench.

Back at the island, she had helped out the villagers often. Of course, they hadn't wanted to owe a Witch so they had given her money. Nausicaa had never used any of it so she had more than a little money. She hadn't told Nami yet. The green-eyed girl had the feeling the thief would find that far too much temptation.

Too tight...too trashy...two short...too uncomfortable...too-

Her thoughts screeched to a stop when she came to a light green cheongsam blouse with pink flower embroidery. Nausicaa stared at it, feeling her pulse starting to race. A memory flashed unexpectedly, leaving her breathless and shaken.

_"That's so pretty!" A six-year old Nausicaa twirled around a beautiful hazel eyed woman. "Mama, can I wear it?"_

_Her mother laughed warmly and bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. In her hands, she held a deep blue cheongsam dress. "You're a bit too small right now, sweetie pie. How about I give it to you for your 14th birthday?"_

_"Really?" Nausicaa looked at her mama with wide eyes. The dress, the pretty dress was going to be hers?_

_The auburn-haired woman smiled. It was a little like the sun coming out of the clouds. "Really."_

_"Promise!" The child demanded._

_Her mama laughed and said, "Promise."_

But she had broken her promise. The dress hadn't been her 14th birthday present. In its place had been vicious rumors and unrelenting isolation.

Nausicaa closed her eyes.

2 minutes later, she walked out with Naasir by her side and a bag of her purchases. Inside were black trousers and that vibrant green blouse.

**Dancer**

"Hmm, this might be a problem." Nausicaa observed, staring at the large gate in front of her. Naasir's nose had led them to a large mansion that she assumed was the sick girl's. "Should we trespass...?"

_"Mistress, they're around the back." _Naasir told her, nose to the ground.

"Then, let's follow the wire gate for now and see what happens." She decided.

Around half-way around the mansion - and really, it was huge - Nausicaa found her crew. She narrowed her eyes. Luffy, Nami, and Zoro were standing in front of a tree. Apprehension, confusion, and wariness swirled around them. A pretty young girl with blonde hair leaned out the window, radiating worry and conflict. Usopp stood before a fallen butler, throwing off anger and humiliation. The butler was on the ground, but he felt only contempt. But...it was strange. He felt contempt for them _all_. Shouldn't he at least tolerate his mistress?

Nausicaa shook her head slightly. It was none of her business. None of them had seen her yet.

_"Come here, Naasir." _She beckoned and he obediently trotted over. Scooping him up with the arm that held her purchases, she took a deep breath and bent her knees. Centered balance, feet spread apart, muscles tense but not too tense...

_3...2...1._

Nausicaa jumped 12 feet into the air, gracefully arching over the fence, Usopp, and the butler. Upside down in midair, she saw Nami, Usopp, and Kaya's jaw drop, the widening of the butler's eyes, the sudden focus of Luffy and Zoro on her, but her attention was mostly caught on the down whirl spiral that she was starting to enter.

She had calculated the distance between her nakama and her position correctly enough - she would land near them - but she had also calculated a bit too close. At this rate, she was going to plunge right into Nami and Zoro. The navigator seemed to realize it too, her face paling and her body tensing in preparation to dive out of the way. In contrast, Zoro didn't react at all, merely watching her progress through calm eyes.

Clever, confident Zoro, she thought to herself even as she twisted in midair, using her body's weight to throw herself to the right. Flipping three times, she came down lightly on her feet a few feet away from Zoro, her free hand flat on the ground to steady herself.

"You're late." Was all the swordsman said, his voice casual, almost bored.

Rising to her feet and placing Naasir gently on the ground, Nausicaa smiled apologetically. "Sorry, sorry."

"Forget that!" Nami exclaimed, her eyes popping out. "How did you do that?!"

Confused, Nausicaa turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

The navigator gaped at the copper-haired girl. "How in the world did you just jump the height of three-stories?!"

"Oh." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm a dancer." Nausicaa said matter-of-factly.

Nami's eye twitched. "That's not an answer!"

"I dare you to say that again!"

The shout caught their attention and Nausicaa turned and frowned at the scene. Usopp, who had apparently been too infuriated to wonder how Nausicaa had managed to jump that high, had grabbed the front of the butler's suit and looked ready to beat the crap out of him.

'This is going to be bad...' She thought to herself as the conflict escalated.

* * *

**And we get a glimpse of Nausicaa's mother! Review, review! I need to hear the encouragement! Give it to me! Ooh, don't forget the poll!**

**Thnxs to my betas~**

**Nau-chan's new blouse is on my profile!**

**P.S: I need some nicknames for Nausicaa. I think she's going to call Zoro moss-ball or something like that, but I have no idea what he'll call her. Suggestions?**


	19. Trouble

**Me: Okay! Let's go over this one more time!**

**Zoro: Go over what?**

**Me: Ahh! *jumps* You aren't supposed to be here!**

**Zoro:...get on with it, woman!**

**Me: Bu-but...**

**Zoro: *gives her a look***

**Me: *pouts* Fine! I don't own One Piece! Ah! But I do own Nauzo! Or is it Zocaa? Nausioro? Zosicaa? Which is it?**

**Cast: ...'she's such an idiot...'**

**Me: I heard that! No, wait, I heard you think that! I think...**

**Cast:...'yup. Idiot.'**

**Me: *sulks***

**leebee14: Why, thank you!**

**sseeaa2: Aww. It's okay!**

**Guest (Sam): Curiosity is good! It means you're gonna keep on reading!**

**The Ninja from Yesterday: Yanagi is awesome. And no. I have never seen Valley of the Wind. What is that? O.O**

* * *

**Pretty**

"Where's Luffy?" Nami asked, sitting on top of the fence with Nausicaa besides her. Zoro was sitting on the floor, leaning against the fence, arms crossed, legs spread, and three swords beside him. Naasir was sleeping, curled up in a ball against Zoro's thigh. Next to him were two of the three 'Usopp Pirates'. Amusingly, they were in the same position as Zoro.

'Trying to be cool...?' Nausicaa wondered. She was getting a faint sense of admiration...directed at Zoro?

"He went chasing that Captain!" Zoro replied.

"So he's probably with Usopp right now," The dancer finished.

"The Captain must be there!" One small boy said, pointing up for some reason.

"Yes! At the shore. Every time something happens, he always goes there!" The other boy agreed.

Nausicaa figured it had something to do with his pirate heritage.

"Going to check it out?" The two boys asked in unison, looking over at Zoro curiously.

"Nah..." He said. His nonchalance was nice, easy compared to the rapid fire emotions earlier. Nausicaa liked it.

"That's a pretty shirt," Nami complimented, looking over her companion for the first time.

Nausicaa smiled. She had changed behind some trees earlier, the other girl making sure no one came near. The blouse still made her a little uncomfortable, but it felt good too. To hold something that reminded her of her mother close to her skin.

"Thanks." She responded with a warm smile.

Nami flashed a quick, tentative smile in return, but hurriedly turned her attention to the small boys. Nausicaa felt affection from the navigator, but she felt wariness and hidden wounds too. It would take Nami some time to relax and let her guard now, she mused to herself as the third boy ran up, screaming about a man that was walking backwards. But that was okay. They had time.

**Plot**

"Oh...my god!" The boy with the pirate bandana gasped.

"They're going to kill Kaya-san?" The apple boy grabbed his head in a panic.

"The village is going to be attacked?! Is that true? Straw hat ni-chan!?" The third boy finished.

"Yep." Luffy confirmed bluntly, sitting crisscross-applesauce at the bottom of the cliff. "That's what the guy said. No doubt about it."

"Oh yeah. Why were you sleeping over over there anyways?" Zoro asked.

"Hmm..." Luffy tilted his head to the side, question marks dancing around him. "I remember I was on top of the cliff..."

"That bastard butler was a bad guy!" One of the boys cried.

'Are they even supposed to know the word 'bastard'?" Nausicaa sweatdropped. 'What exactly are these villagers teaching their kids?'

"No wonder he gave me the creeps!"

"And that hypnotist was a creep as well!"

"So that's why your Captain ran to the village in such a hurry to warn them!" Nami crossed her arms, looking down at the three boys in front of her. "Well that's good, you guys are the first to know, you should escape while you can! It'll be too late when the pirates get here!"

"Yeah! Then we should run away!"

"Yes! Pack up our important stuffs!"

"My allowance money, and snacks...and my model ship..."

"Gotta hurry!" The three boys went running back to the village.

"On no!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed.

"What now?" Zoro grunted.

"We haven't bought our meat yet!" He screamed. "Even the butcher will soon run away!"

"You idiot!" Nami swiftly punched him into the ground.

Idly, Zoro glanced around, narrowing his eyes when he noticed that in the commotion Nausicaa had drifted away from the group. She knelt slightly in front of a sharp rock with a sea gull perched on it. He shrugged - Nausicaa could take care of herself - but he kept one eye on her regardless.

_"What is it?" _Nausicaa questioned the sea gull that had got her attention.

_"There's a problem in the village, Mistress." _the sea gull squawked. _"I thought you might want to know."_

_"I do want to know. Thank you. What is happening?"_

_"The village liar, Usopp is running around screaming that pirates are coming. Quite peculiar. Normally, he does his stunts in the morning."_

She frowned. _"And how are the villagers reacting?"_

The sea gull blinked at her. _"They are coming after him with brooms and sticks, of course. Some guns as well. He does this all the time. No one believes him and his tales."_

_"I see."_ Abruptly she stood up, directing a smile at the sea gull. _"Thank you for coming to tell me this. It was important."_

_"It is always a pleasure serving you, Mistress." _Getting airborne, the bird bowed his head slightly to her and flew off.

Frowning thoughtfully, Nausicaa wandered back to the others. Absently tapping her fingers against her thighs, she wondered what she should do. It really wasn't surprising, considering Usopp _was_ the village liar, but she was certain the experience must have hurt the boy. To try and protect the people you cared about only to have those same people turn on you. What to do, what to do...

"Hey." A muscular shoulder bumping against her own.

Startled, she looked up into Zoro's perceptive eyes. "What's going on?"

"Oh." She bit her lip. "The villagers...didn't believe Usopp."

He frowned, keeping his voice low. "They won't leave until it's too late."

"No." Nausicaa took a deep breath and picked Naasir up, stroking his fur. She hated to think of the bloodshed that would happen, the complete massacre those pirates would cause.

"Don't worry. We'll handle it when it happens." Zoro reassured somewhat awkwardly.

She smiled, comforted and amused by his words. Zoro didn't do comfort well, but it was sweet when he tried. "Who said I'm worried?"

He snorted. "As if that's hard to tell."

Nausicaa's smile widened and she turned her attention back to Luffy who was clamoring for meat and Nami who looked ready to punch him again. He was right, after all. They would handle it when it happened.

**See**

"Captain!" The cry of the little boy caught all their attentions.

Blinking, Nausicaa glanced up and caught Usopp quickly wiping away his tears as they walked up to him. She frowned at the gloom of sorrow and depression and _terror_ that wrapped around him. 'So it really didn't work with the villagers after all...'

"Hey! Hi everybody!" He said, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. A second later, shock and relief sparked off him as he caught sight of Luffy. "How can you still be alive?"

Walking over to a nearby tree with Naasir beside her, Nausicaa leaned against it with her arms crossed, closed her eyes, and _focused_.

Luffy was...confused. And getting more confused by the minute. She stifled a laugh, knowing that no matter how confused her Captain was, he'd help out in the end. That was who Luffy was. Though she didn't really think he could be classified as good or bad.

Nami was exasperated. And she was also being greedy. Thinking about the gold she could steal from the unsuspecting pirates probably. But underneath that...years of old pain and determination and _fear_ churned. Her frown deepened. Whatever it was that haunted Nami was relentless.

Zoro was calm. Almost bored. But then again, this _was_ Zoro. Bored or not, he was keeping a close eye on the proceedings. Her enhanced sense caught a faint trace of curiosity directed at her. Wondering what she was doing, maybe?

The three children were confused. Almost as much as Luffy. Within a moment though, that was overridden by anger and disappointment and betrayal. Nausicaa briefly tuned back into the outside world to realize that Usopp had basically told the three that he had lied about the pirates to get back at the butler. Their feelings were understandable really. The three had idolized the guy.

Usopp...was the one who threatened to overwhelm her. He radiated so many emotions and not a single happy one. Pain, sorrow, determination, terror...and a layer of steel determination bubbling and frothing fiercely beneath. Nausicaa was sure that she could attempt to dissuade him from his current path of choice for a few hundred years, but his determination wouldn't even flicker. This was a man, which for all his fear, would stand his ground.

A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth even as she opened her eyes to see the little kids stomp back to their village.

**Help**

"Since everyone thinks I'm a liar, I'll protect this village myself and prevent the pirates from attacking!" Usopp declared passionately, holding up a clenched fist. "In order to protect the village, then this will just become one of my lies!"

Zoro's eyes widened minutely. Damn. He hadn't actually thought the liar and coward could be this brave and noble. He saw Nami tense and Luffy blink and knew that they were surprised too. Only Nausicaa showed no sign of surprise though Naasir stared at Usopp intently with a feline green gaze.

Not for the first time, Zoro wondered just how far Nausicaa's empathy ran. When he had battled Cabaji, she had had her arms wrapped around herself and when the retard of a swordsman had cowardly reopened his wound, he had seen her flinch. He shook the thought off for now, but kept it in the back of his mind.

Usopp sat back down on the rock heavily, holding his bleeding arm in front of him with his untouched one. "Although they...fired guns at me...and they chased after me with broomsticks...here...in the village where I grew up! I love this village! I want to protect everyone..."

He began to cry, holding his hands to his face. "How can I just watch everyone get killed...?

Zoro sighed, having seen this from the second Luffy had told them of the pirates' plans. Might as well go with it. "You are a pretty good guy, you lied to your crew so that you can do this alone..."

"Okay!" Luffy decided to no one's surprise but Usopp's, stretching out his arms. "I'm definitely going to butt-in this one!"

"But first things first, all their treasure is mine!" Nami announced, holding up an OK sign. A twinkle appeared mysteriously above her fingers.

"I wonder if those pirates have any good daggers...?" Nausicaa wondered out loud, lightly cocking her head to one side. Naasir mirrored her movement, eyes feline curious.

"What..?" Usopp asked, a whisper of hope in his voice. "You guys...are willing to fight with me?! Why...?"

"Because the enemies out-number you!" Luffy said.

"You have the words 'I'm scared' written all over your face." Zoro stated bluntly. No need to sugarcoat it.

"You're not exactly the strongest person in the world, Usopp..." Nausicaa commented gently. He resisted the urge to smirk. No need to rub it in after all.

**Slope**

"They're going to attack from this shore," Usopp said, pointing to the shore he had led them to. "Because this is the only way into the village. There's only one slope, the rest are just cliffs!"

"This means as long as we guard this slope with our lives, the village won't be harmed!" He continued, climbing up the slope to stand with his arms crossed.

"Sounds easy!" Luffy responded with a grin, a hand on his hat.

"Easier said than done...What are you guys good at?" He asked.

"Slicing!" Zoro put a hand on his swords.

"Stretching!" Luffy raised a fist.

"Stealing!" Nami put her hands on her hips.

"Sambaing!" Nausicaa gently petted Naasir.

"Wait, what's that?!" Nami turned to the younger girl, brow furrowed.

"A dance from the West Blue. Very fast-paced, lots of twirling."

"What does that have to with this?" The thief sweatdropped.

"Hiding!" Usopp deadpanned.

"You have to fight too!" They roared at him with shark-teeth.

* * *

**Review! And next time we'll have the Black Cat Pirates!**

**Ah! I kinda need a beta. ^.^ Cause all of my betas are...in hibernation. Yeah! They're buried or something. So...anyone interested?**

**Vote in the poll!**

**Question: What's the shipping for Nausicaa and Zoro? As you see from above, I really don't know.  
**

**Until next time, darlings~**


	20. Cats

**Me: School's been killing me lately. Ah and One Piece does not belong to me!  
**

**Luffy: Course it doesn't! Because I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!**

**Me: Yeah...*smiles nervously***

**Luffy: Right, Author-chan.**

**Me: Umm. Remember to vote for Nausicaa-chan in the poll, you all! *runs away***

**Luffy: Author-chan! Wait! *runs after her***

**The Cast: *deadpans***

**Molly Grace 16: Oh my god! You are such a genius! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**Guest (Sam): I don't doubt it. :D**

**Rosy Fire: Acutally. It is. The universe is a mysterious thing.**

**Itachi: Hmm. Ace X OC, huh? That might, yeah, maybe...*walks off, mumbling under breath***

**Ino1693: ZoNo? That might work, hmm? **

**Guest: So glad to know you liked it!**

**Kekoa-CSS: You're welcome! Thank you for reviewing!**

* * *

**Slippery**

"Hurry!" Luffy exclaimed, after the gang realized the pirates were, in fact, not going to attack from their slope. "Which way are they going to attack from?"

"Going in that direction with only take 3 minutes!" Usopp told him, pointing with his thumb to the right. "The landscape on that side is basically the same as this one! All we have to do is prevent them from coming on top of the slope!"

"Oh no!" Nami clutched her head in horror. "That's where we docked our ships! My treasure is going to be robbed!"

"I only need 20 seconds to get there!" Luffy took off, Naasir following him enthusiastically.

"Damn! Then our oil traps and preparations were all useless!" Usopp despaired.

Nami's eyes widened. "Damn it!"

Nausicaa turned. "Nami?" She was worried by the sudden shock and desperation radiating from the orange-head.

"What are you doing?" Zoro demanded.

"Ahh!" She lunged forward on the oil. "Help! I'm slipping!"

In desperation, she grabbed Zoro's shirt and Nausicaa's ankle.

"Ah!" They cried out.

Zoro went tumbling to the ground when Nami pulled on his shirt. Nausicaa on the other hand, was forced onto her knees when Nami pulled too hard on her ankle.

"Wahh! Let go! Idiot!" Zoro snarled at the navigator.

"Nami!" Nausicaa wailed.

"Oops! Sorry!" She responded. With one final lunge, she got free from the oil - "I got up...Thanks!" - and sent Zoro and Nausicaa sliding the oily slope.

"Wahh!" They screamed.

"Eh..." Nami sweatdropped and raised a hand. "Sorry! But my treasure is in danger! You two find your own way up!" And she ran off.

Now, what happened was that Zoro had went down the slope first. And Nausicaa went down second. So...near the bottom...she completely smashed into him.

Zoro grunted, his breath slamming out of his lungs at the impact. But he instinctively wrapped his arms around her to cushion her fall. They landed on the bottom in a tangle of limbs and oil. It was messy. To say the least.

"Nami!" Zoro growled. "I'm going to kill you!

**Up**

"Damn!" Zoro tried to run up the slope without much success. "I can't get up there!"

"Zoro, calm down!" Nausicaa said calmly, standing on the bottom with her hands on her hips.

Sliding to the bottom once again, he glared at her. "Why the hell are you so calm? We need to get to the right slope so we can help the others!"

She gave him a reprimanding look and he subsided, still annoyed. "Of course, we do. But running uselessly up an oily slope isn't the way we go about it."

He scowled. "Then what do _you_ want to do?"

She smiled smugly and began to back up. Zoro watched, bemused and rather miffed by her behavior. About 10 feet from the slope, she began to run.

He scoffed. "That won't-"

Nausicaa leaped up about 15 feet into the air, spinning and rolling in mid-air elaborately. A few heart-stopping moments later, she landed perfectly on the top of the slope.

"...work." He finished weakly.

She turned to smirk at him. "You were saying?"

Zoro grumbled, "You're such a wildcat."

Her smirk fell. "Wildcat..? How the hell am I like a wildcat?!"

Now it was his turn to smirk at her. "Come on, Wildcat. Get me up there."

**Idiot**

With a sulking Nausicaa leading the way, the two managed to make it to the other slope in time to see Usopp being thrown on the ground, blood running down his face.

Zoro frowned murderously and expertly pulled out a sword. A single slice, and the pirates went flying into the air.

"Hey! Everyone's already here!" Luffy complained, shooting out of some bushes. Naasir bounded out after him.

"That's because _someone_ does have some sense of direction." Nausicaa muttered. Naasir purred happily and padded over to her side.

She smiled in relief - she had been worried - and discreetly sent him a command. "_Find the girl from the mansion and guard her for me. Keep her safe, little one." _It wasn't necessary, but she wanted the cub out of the way of the fighting. He was too small and young to be of any help anyways.

If he could have beamed, Naasir would have done it. _"I'll do my best, Mistress!" _He raced away, estatic at being able to help his Mistress. Nausicaa almost felt bad. Almost.

"What took you guys so long?" Nami asked, irked by the delay.

"What's going on? Captain Jango..." A pirate cried out.

"We didn't know they had these kind of people in the village.." Another agreed.

"What took us so long?" Zoro repeated, putting his bandana on.

"How should I know! Right now I just want to kick some asses!" Luffy declared.

"_We_ were held up by you, Nami..." Nausicaa said, clearly exasperated.

"How dare you kick us!" Zoro agreed, gritting his teeth.

"Usopp, you idiot!" Luffy roared, eyes wide. "You didn't even tell me which way is north!"

"Who are those guys..?" Jango asked, placing one hand on his hat.

"...I didn't know you guys were this strong..." Usopp gasped, looking at Luffy with new respect.

"Of course!" The rubberman replied instantly.

"You're late.." Nami said. "What took you guys so long?"

Zoro glared, thoroughly pissed off. "It was you who made us fall down! And now you're blaming us?!"

"I couldn't help it!" Nami defended. "Better two people fall down than all three of us!"

"Then you should've been the one to fall!" Both Nausicaa and Zoro retorted immediately, irk marks appearing on their foreheads.

**Berserk**

"Shit!" Nausicaa murmured, after seeing the hypnotized pirates break a wall with a single blow.

"OOOOHHH!" They cried, rushing up the slope.

"You two hurry up and go up the slope!" Zoro directed. "We'll take care of this..."

Nausicaa frowned; what was up with Luffy...? His emotions were all out of whack...

"Luffy?" She questioned, throwing a concerned glance at her unmoving Captain.

He didn't move, his hat shadowing his face.

"Luffy!?" Zoro's eyes widened, having already grabbed the hilt of one of his swords.

"YEAAAHHH!" He hollered, throwing both arms in the air and revealing crazed eyes.

"YOU GOT HYPNOTIZED, TOO?!" All of them yelled, jaws dropping.

**Nyaban Brothers**

"Come down!" Jango commanded, throwing his arms up as if in supplication to his god. "Nyaban Brothers!"

Nausicaa's eye twitched as two dark shapes leapt high into the air - almost as high as she could go - and landed behind Jango. Why couldn't any of these pirates have a drop of fashion? Or sense? What the hell was with their appearances? First clowns, now...pirates dressed up as cats?! What was next? Foxes?

(Oh, Nau-chan. If only you knew.)

"Hello, Nyaban Brothers." The hypnotist greeted.

"Captain, you called for us?" The thin one, also known as Sham, asked rhetorically.

"What's up?" His brother, the fat one and also known as Buchi, said.

Nausicaa eyed them wearily as their Captain ordered them to fit them and the two panicked, displaying utter cowardice.

"What's going on? Aren't they suppose to be strong? Why are they making those cowards fight?" Nami wondered.

Good question. The dancer's eyes narrowed. They were too confident underneath their smugness, their emotions in direct contrast with their behavior.

"Zoro, be careful." She warned quietly. "They're faking."

The swordsman frowned and took a tighter hold on his sword. "If you say so."

**Coward**

"Hey, girlie." The fatty, Buchi leered. "If you don't get outta my way, I'm going to have to hurt you!"

Nausicaa gave him an entirely uninterested look and turned away. Zoro had lost two of his katanas despite her warning - and she was going to have a talk with him later about that - and wasn't doing so good against Sham. She bit her lip, struggling against the waves of pain and frustration. She really needed to learn how to control her empathy before she was completely useless in a fight.

Buchi's eye twitched.

"You asked for it, girlie!" The Nyaban brother charged, one clawed hand outstretched, the sharp tips glinting in the sunlight and ready to tear the copper-haired girl to pieces.

"Oi!" Usopp shouted.

"Watch out!" Nami screamed.

Zoro's eyes widened even as Sham came at him once more with a stupid victorious smile. Damn it!

Closer and closer, Buchi got, arm outstretched and...

A small smile sneaked its way onto Nausicaa's face. A split second before Buchi would have sliced her into two pieces, she vaulted into the air, curled backwards and kicked Buchi head on in the back of his head. He went down hard, face first, his weight and momentum causing large cracks to appear on the ground.

Nausicaa landed lightly on her feet. "Baka." She scolded lightly with a smirk as Nami and Usopp breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't you know never to attack a girl from behind?"

"...Che." Zoro blocked another blow from a worried Sham. "...Act quicker next time, Wildcat."

"Oh, be quiet, Lichen." She responded with a pout.

"What the heck does that even mean?!" He blocked several more strikes from the other Nyaban Brother.

"It's a type of moss." Nausicaa rolled her eyes, but her attention was quickly caught once more by Buchi when he groaned.

"Y-you bitch!" He got to his feet, looking murderous. She just smiled tauntingly, two blades appearing in her hands.

The two went at each other, claws clashing against steel. Buchi was stronger than the dancer was, much stronger, but she was much faster. She blocked most of his blows with her swords and weaved around the heavier ones to his frustration.

"Die, dammit!" He roared, furiously scratching at her.

"I'd rather not," She commented coolly, sparks flying off her blades as they collided against his claws.

Buchi growled in vexation.

**Distraction**

"Zoro!" Nausicaa cried out in distress, turning despite herself to look at him as the swordsman went down, blood spurting out from his side. The First Mate had been distracted by Usopp's attempt at helping them and Sham had used the opening gleefully.

"Hah! Now you're distracted, too!" Buchi giggled, honest-to-god _giggled_, and lunged at her claws out. He was all too happy because she had been fending him off just fine before the distraction.

Eyes widening, she tried to spin back around, but she wasn't that fast-

"Nausicaa!" Usopp and Nami shouted.

At the last possible moment, her natural reflexes came to her aid. Now, all her life, Nausicaa had been much more..._primitive_ in her fighting style than most others. It wasn't something she could help; it came with the territory of being Mistress of the Wild. As a result, more often than not, her body reacted before her mind at a surprise attack and if pushed, she completely forgot all formal training and simply attacked like a wild animal.

In accordance with that fact, most trainers would have dismissed her immediately. She was too wild, too rough for them and why teach a girl if you knew if push came to shove she would forget every last lesson? It was Nausicaa's luck that _her_ sensei was one of the best. _He_ didn't give up, had never given up on a challenge, and so in that brief time he had had with her, he had taught her how to use her primal instincts to her advantage. The years she had spent in the forest with incredibly limited contact with humans and as part of a pack of leopards had only solidified and enhanced his teachings.

Nausicaa's body promptly went boneless and she slid to the ground in a move that the most flexible toddler wouldn't have been able to do, managing to avoid most of the deadly claws that glinted above her though the mere edges of them tore shallow wounds on the edges of her stomach. Ignoring the pain and the blood, she flowed to her feet in another smooth move and plunged one blade in her opponent's fat, _fat _belly. Buchi bawled in pain, flinching away from her.

Spinning around so she was facing away from her attacker, the dancer gathered up her anger and worry and put it all in the foot she snapped up behind her to kick at his throat, her body moving with the momentum so that for a single moment her body was utterly perpendicular to the ground in a beautiful display of flexibility. "Lotus Arabesque!"

The blow connected with a satisfying thump and Buchi gasped, flying back to land at Jango's feet. Going with the flow, Nausicaa placed both hands on the ground and did a forward flip to land on her feet.

She looked up to see Zoro finishing off his opponent and Usopp and Nami gawking at her in a mixture of shock, disbelief, and awe. She smiled.

And of course, that was when Kuro _had _to show up and ruin everything.

**Aim**

"Uwahh...!" Buchi cried, eyes blank and muscles bulging.

Zoro and Nausicaa turned in a hurry. "It's...it's hypnotism again?" He questioned in disbelief.

"Why won't he just stay down?!" Nausicaa snarled, a positively deadly look in her eyes.

Zoro gave her a wary look and subtly began to inch away from her. He wasn't sure he wanted to be near her when she was in a state like this. There was a reason he called her Wildcat, damn it! She happily ignored his reaction in favor of watching Nami in worry. Said girl was running over to Luffy, hoping to wake him up before the situation got worse.

Unfortunately, she caught the attention of Jango.

"What do you think you're doing, sly little girl?!" He flung out his ring-blade at Nami in a fit of anger. "Die!"

Not noticing, Nami ran up to Luffy, panting, "Everyone is fighting with wounds and this guy just sleeps!" She firmly stomped on his head with, screaming, "Wake up!"

"Nami! Look out! Duck!" Zoro hollered in a panic.

"Ah!" Nami gasped as she finally noticed the sharp disk currently flying towards her at neck-slicing speed.

Nausicaa narrowed her eyes; she could sense Luffy waking up, but he wouldn't wake up _in time_. A throwing knife automatically appeared in her hand and she took a deep breath.

Her sensei's voice echoed in her mind, deep and commanding and purposeful. _"Never, ever panic, Nausicaa. Fear saves people, panic does nothing."_

As if he was right there with her, she raised the knife in the air - _Look _- took a careful look at Nami and the weapon and Jango and Zoro and everyone else - _Observe_ - quickly measured the air currents and the distance - _Move! -_ and threw the knife, folding her body over so that the back of her boot his the hilt as it flew to give it extra momentum.

Coming up in a forward roll, right hand on the ground for stability , she watched the scene through lenses of artificial calm. Nothing more she could do now, except hope that her aim - practiced and perfected through the years - was good enough to save Nami.

* * *

**And..cut! Actions guys! Action! A cliffhanger! Mwahahaha  
**

**Anyhow. *cough* I got a beta guys! For Wild Mage and Moon Mage anyways. Anyone want to take up Sun Mage and Amber Heart? Anyone? PM me if you're interested!**

**Question: What do you guys think of Nausicaa so far? Flaws, good points? Give me the criticism! I welcome it!**

**Ah. And thanks to my new beta, Anime Foxx!**

**Under next time, my readers!**


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